City Council Hearing: Education, Youth, & Older Adults; October 15, 2026

Baltimore City Council Education, Youth, and Older Adults Committee hearing, October 15, 2026, examined the effects of increased federal immigration enforcement on city students and families. Students, educators, health professionals, and community representatives described fear, family separation, reduced attendance and enrollment, and impacts on students’ mental health and learning. Baltimore City Schools reported an 8.1% year-over-year decline in multilingual-learner enrollment, including a 9.5% decline among high school students, and said transfers out of the country accounted for 25.2% of multilingual-learner transfer exits. The committee requested follow-up enrollment data comparing September 30 counts, including pre-K and breakdowns by race and ethnicity, more detail on withdrawals, and information about factors behind chronic absenteeism. MIMA was also asked to verify whether its arrest data include ICE check-ins.

No contract awards, bids, procurement votes, or purchasing approvals were identified. Funding and resource discussions included MIMA’s report that it had raised an additional $2 million from philanthropic partners for work over the next two years, including expanded CASA case-management and financial assistance capacity, a coordinator for tier-one services, and behavioral-health support for service providers. City Schools said community school coordinators are present in every school through the state’s Concentration of Poverty grant; speakers also discussed needs for bilingual staff, school-based mental-health support, food assistance, transportation, and rental assistance. Schools reported updating policies and guidance to reflect changes in Maryland law, clarifying that family emergencies may qualify for excused absences, and implementing a three-year language-access plan. These were status reports and requests for further support, not spending actions approved by the committee.