223 Latino children enrolled at his school have already left and 36 more have announced they will leave soon. Under the law, schools must ask new students for birth certificates and official documents that are then sent to the Alabama State Board of Education. Although the data is not forwarded to the immigration authorities, many parents are concerned that inspections and arrests might start occurring at the school gates. "We started a campaign to explain to parents what the implications of this law are. But the children will get the worst of it because this panic affects learning," Mr Lawrence said. "We do not know who is documented and who isn't. We do not ask because that's none of our business." The 2010 US census showed about 79,000 children of migrant families live in Alabama. Of those, 88% were born in the United States, according to Kids Count, a nationwide welfare foundation. The state will now have access to their immigration details to assess how much of the education budget is spent on the schooling of undocumented immigrants, according to authorities. "HB56 directly threatens the education, safety, and overall well-being of children in Alabama," said Wendy Cervantes of First Focus, an organisation that protects children's rights. "This law turns school officials into government agents, and diverts limited resources away from teaching Alabama's children." Teachers are concerned about the long-term effects of the law on classrooms, and if the exodus of Hispanic children continues, state authorities could cut the current education