Christopher Peak Photo
Maria Harris: “Wrong perception of right and wrong.”
Is publicizing the way the city’s public schools will respond to a federal immigration raid a reassurance to families they’ll be protected from the Trump administration? Or an overreaction sure to shake them with fright?
Board of Education members addressed that question Monday night, after reviewing draft language on how administrators would handle a visit or raid by U.S. Immigrants and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Despite one parent accusing them of fear-mongering, the five board members present unanimously voted to publicize the district’s plan to shield schoolchildren from deportations.
The district’s website will now include protocols explaining, in detail, how the superintendent will handle a visit by ICE officials and a list of contacts at each school who can field complaints of bullying or harassment and assist with finding local resources for legal aid, mental health or other services. The webpage will also answer 10 frequently asked questions about how students’ citizenship status affects their education, among them:
Q: What impact does immigration status have on my child’s education?
A: None. All children have a constitutional right to receive free public education regardless of their immigration status or their parents’ immigration status. This right cannot be taken away by the President or the state or federal legislatures.
Q: Will immigration officials come to our schools?
A: As of today, current federal policy guidelines prohibit immigration enforcement activities in schools. The administration has confirmed that it is still following this guidance and therefore immigration enforcement actions should not happen. However, if ICE officials visit or make requests of NHPS, the district will follow internal protocols to ensure that your child is protected.
Q: What would happen to my child if I am detained and/or deported?
A: We strongly recommend that you keep all emergency contact information updated with your child’s school. The district is not authorized to release your child to anyone, even if they are a close family member, without prior authorization from the parent.
Darnell Goldson.
The move to formalize the district’s plans began a week before Donald Trump’s inauguration. In mid-January, Will Clark, the school system’s operations chief, presented the board with draft policies for responding to a raid. Then, in April, with help from Junta for Progressive Action, St. Rose of Lima Church and others, Clark compiled additional information into an FAQ. Monday’s vote gave him formal approval from the board.
The new policies weren’t without controversy. One parent, Maria Harris, complained during public testimony that the board had doubly erred. On one hand, Harris said, she doesn’t want to see tax-paying immigrants fearful they’ll be booted out of the country. On the other, she said, she also wants law-breakers to recognize there should be consequences for residing in the country illegally.
“I really think that you guys are giving off the wrong perception on what’s right and wrong,” she said. “For the families that have done it the right way or are born citizens, you guys are not making them feel they’re needed here or they’re wanted here.”
After the meeting ended, Harris told the Independent she feels torn on how the federal government should handle illegal immigration. “It’s so touchy,” said the first-generation Cuban-American. Her views aren’t abstractions, either: A little over a decade ago, the government deported her ex-lover to Jamaica, following his arrest.
Enforcing the law was the right move, she said. “If you’re doing something wrong, I just feel that you should not be made comfortable,” Harris added, “because you just make it hard for the other people who are here doing the right thing.”
The board members sharply disagreed. Darnell Goldson said he has “no qualms” in supporting protections for undocumented immigrants in Elm City schools. What’s legal isn’t always what’s moral, he argued, as the example of slavery proved. Dr. Carlos Antonio Torre agreed. “Illegal immigration in this country started in 1492,” so why start doling out punishment only now? he asked.
No one knows the exact number of undocumented students in New Haven’s public school system, since district rules prohibit officials from requiring anything more than proof of residence, like a utility bill or library card, for admission.
I volunteer at East Rock School. There are kids there, and I presume at other NH schools, who are worried that they or their family members will be deported.
Regardless of your views on immigration, these kids have done nothing wrong. It is entirely appropriate for the Board of Education to protect their legal rights.
The policies are not scare-mongering. The FAQs specifically state that current federal policy is not to raid schools. But this only policy, and the BoE is being prudent.