PROTESTS SHUT DOWN BUSINESSES STUDENTS SKIP CLASS FOR RALLY LOCAL ATTENDANCE DECLINES NOTED.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Fourteen-year-old Jasmine skipped school Monday to join her parents in the third recent massive immigration demonstration to rally through the streets of Los Angeles.

The Canyon High School student was among an estimated 41,500 others in Los Angeles County who didn't go to school, as part of a nationwide boycott that aimed to stump the economy for a day and draw attention to national immigration policies.

Although Jasmine is an American citizen, her parents are not here legally. They came across the border in search of a better life for their children, one that was far away from the gangsters who ran their town in Mexico, they said.

The family, who would not give their last name, said they used Monday's event to teach their daughter about the opportunities she has in America and to remind her of the life they left behind.

``This will remind her where she comes from,'' said her mother, Maria, as the family waited for the Metrolink to take them downtown.

The number of students who played hooky Monday was similar to the number who walked out of class in late March in response to proposed federal immigration legislation. About 40,000 high school students throughout the county took to the streets then during the first day of walkouts. Many of them were angered at proposals to deport those in the country illegally. To the American-born students, that would mean their parents would be sent away and their families would be split up.

Nearly 200 of the students who protested in March hailed from the William S. Hart Union High School District. Although schools were still tallying up Monday's absences at day's end, some had their figures. At Hart High, 659 students were reported absent, more than double the average daily absentee rate.

In the Newhall School District, schools with larger Latino populations reported increased pupil absences Monday. The most came from J. Michael McGrath Elementary School, where about 50 students were absent.

Superintendent Marc Winger said some preschool classes in the district also were hit hard by the boycotts, with less than half of the children present in some cases. He said there were no problems with teacher staffing.

Although public schools rely on daily attendance for state funding, Monday's event likely won't make a scratch on their budgets, because the days under consideration fall between September and April 15, said Tina Jung, information officer for the California Department of Education.

Jung said districts that shut down for the day would face fiscal consequences if they don't make up the mandatory 180 days of instruction before the school year ends.

``Schools will probably be minimally affected by ADA (average daily attendance) funding, because of today's protest,'' Jung said.

Canyon High's Mayra Cisneros also stayed home from school Monday and planned to march in Los Angeles with her brother and sister. She wasn't sure she'd be able to work at her part-time cashier job at a local dry cleaners in the afternoon.

The 17-year-old moved to California two years ago from Mexico after her family struggled to stay financially afloat there. She said families can't survive in Mexico with just one wage earner. So her whole family went to work and put their money toward their house.

At age 10, Mayra began working in a restaurant to help her family out. She thought that was the way it worked everywhere. So when she moved to America, she was puzzled to see that children here don't work.

``When I came here and saw that kids here always have money and don't work, I wondered: Why is it like this?'' she said.

Florencia Veloco, 18, also was drawn to the demonstrations Monday instead of school. The Argentine native said her parents urged her not to go. They were scared that immigration officials would be waiting downtown to take illegals into custody.

But the Canyon senior checked with a teacher who explained that that wouldn't happen. So she hoped to go with a group of friends to support all immigrants.

``People come over here to work and to try to change their lives,'' she said. ``In my country, they don't give you many chances for a better life.''

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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