Los Angeles Unified School District saw a record first-day turnout Thursday, Aug. 14, despite community fears over recent immigration raids, with preliminary attendance 2% higher than last year, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) started its new school year but this year things are different. The public school system is focusing on protecting students in the face of increasingly indiscriminate raids in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Unified plans to ramp up its iAttend program — where school and district staff knock on the doors of families and encourage students to return to the classroom.