Dozens Of Sacramento Students Remain In Afghanistan, Districts Say

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Dozens of local students remain in Afghanistan following the mass evacuation efforts.

The San Juan Unified School District said 40 of its students remain while the Sacramento City Unified School District said eight students from three families remain.

"We are very concerned for the safety of our Sac City Unified students who are still in Afghanistan," said Superintendent Jorge A. Aguilar. "This situation is harrowing as each day these students remain in a Taliban-occupied country is another day that their lives are in grave danger."

In a news release sent out by Sac City Unified, Aguilar said they are working closely with congressional representatives and remain hopeful the children will be able to return to the U.S. soon.

The district said some of the families have reported that they were turned away from evacuation flights. Some reported they were near the blast site at the Kabul airport that killed more than a dozen U.S. service members and more than 160 Afghans.

"Sac City Unified stands in solidarity with our refugee community," Superintendent Aguilar said. "Enrolling children and attending school is a vital way that refugee families connect with their new community, and we welcome families from Afghanistan and other countries with open arms. We also understand that establishing a new home does not lessen concerns about family and friends left behind. Our district will continue to support the needs of our refugee students and their families who may be navigating extra stress and trauma at this time."

Sac City Unified said it received 476 refugee students between 2016-2020, and 36 just since this July. The district said it anticipates additional Afghan refugees this year and has added additional support and staff, in addition to reconvening a Refugee Task Force.

San Juan Unified said it has a total of 1,700 Afghan refugees in its district.