For regular readers of Refugee Resettlement Watch there is nothing new in this story about how St. Louis, MO schools handle large numbers of students speaking 25 different languages and having very different cultural practices. Bosnian Muslims make up a large part of that group. But, it occurred to me as a I read the article in the South County Times that some of this might be of interest to new readers.
The immigrant and refugee make-up of the metropolitan St. Louis area has exploded seemingly overnight, increasing by over 65 percent since 1990. In the trenches integrating these different cultures are the faculty, staff and administrators at St. Louis County schools.
Federal grants help reduce some of the burden but doesn’t come close to covering the cost to communities with large numbers of refugee children. This school district has 710 students who do not speak English as their primary language.
St. Louis has been a magnet for Bosnian (mostly Muslim) refugees since the Clinton Administration allowed over 100,000 to come here during the 1990’s.
The Bayless School District, because of its location, became an integral part of the Bosnian refugee resettlement in St. Louis during the Bosnian War in the 1990s.
Bosnians have made St. Louis their destination city just as Somalis have headed to Minneapolis in large numbers. Earlier this year we told you about a story at ‘Gateway Pundit’ about the huge Bosnian prayer tower under construction there.
Come to think of it, we have had some not very flattering stories about Bosnian refugees here, here, and here. And, I do believe some of the Ft. Dix plotters found guilty just today in NJ of planning to kill soldiers at the base are also Bosnians.