Photo: AFP
At least two dozen Sacramento-area students remain trapped in Afghanistan.
San Juan Unified School District spokesperson Raj Rai reports that sixteen local students were rescued from the war-torn country. Back in September, the District reported 40 students were still there. Meanwhile, the Sacramento City Unified School District reported a month ago it had eight students still in Afghanistan, but there's been no updates on that front. Sacramento has one of the largest Afghan communities in the United States.
Other schools within the Sacramento districts are working tirelessly to bring students back home - Nate McGill, the principal of Ethel I Baker elementary, says two families, a total of ten people, have been pulled out of the country by a private rescue organization.
“We look forward to joyfully welcoming our students back when they are able to return to school here in Sacramento,” read a statement from Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar. “We are mindful that they have endured harrowing experiences and may need help to process trauma as well as extra academic support. Our school sites provide a wide range of services for families relocating from Afghanistan, and we will be ready to support our returning students and their families in their transition back to home in Sacramento.”