Amid stepped-up federal enforcement of immigration laws, some school districts with large numbers of immigrant students are crafting new policies spelling out how they should relate to federal officials while also protecting student privacy and honoring children’s entitlement to a free K-12 education in this country, regardless of their immigration status.
In Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M., for example, new policies bar school personnel from putting information about a child’s immigration status in school records or sharing it with outside agencies, including federal immigration authorities. Personnel are also told to deny any request from immigration officials to enter a school to search for information or seize students; school officials—with the help of lawyers—instead would determine whether to grant access.
What do you think? In the climate of increased enforcement of federal laws against illegal immigration, what policies should school districts have, if any, regarding undocumented students?
