OntheWilderSide

Sample letter to school districts about respecting all students (including immigrant students) is at the bottom.

How did you feel when it was proposed that ICE — federal immigration agents with guns — would be allowed to enter schools under the current, Orange Administration?

I was devasted. I have been a child advocate and immigration advocate for many years. I constantly lobby my school district for progressive changes and I ran for school board several years ago.

I wrote a letter to my school board to express my wishes that children — both citizens and noncitizens — would be safe in our school. (I am pleased to report that my school district did end up distributing an excellent letter that revealed a positive, pro-immigrant, pro-child approach to keeping students safe from the feds at school.)

I realized that my letter might be useful to other people who wish to create letters or spoken presentations at their own school boards. Please, please, feel free to borrow, copy paste, and use my letter below as you like, as a starter for your own letter.

It might also be helpful for you to look into what your state government has announced in regards to how your state wishes to safeguard students from the violence and intrusion of possible ICE raids. In New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and the New York State Education Department put out an excellent joint statement asserting the rights of immigrant students to an education, and the right of all children to attend school without fear.

New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students

Kind regards,
Kimberly Wilder
Coordinator, Riverhead Areas School Info/Riverhead RASi

___________________________

Dear [Insert School District Name],

[I write to you as a (parent) (resident of our district) (concerned student) (faculty member) (etc).]

Every society needs a place for vulnerable people to hide when there is conflict, violence, or war swirling about.

In the Middle Ages, it was traditional, that no one would enter a church, if the clergy decided to give someone sanctuary there.

In current times, even during war, most countries will respect the boundary line of soldiers or bombs not entering a school or a hospital. (It is not always the case. But, most people believe it to be a moral imperative and a way to protect vulnerable people.)

Where does our Riverhead Community draw the line of who can be protected from the possible collateral damage of crime-fighting violence? and how big a circle of safety should be drawn around young children?

The current political atmosphere seems to mean that a federal agency may be coming to hunt down people who they believe committed crimes such as stealing, or of crossing a border without papers. It has been said that Congress is considering new immigration laws as soon as this week. And, there are some federal policies which the new President can change almost immediately about ICE entering schools. So, where do we – as parents, as school leaders, as a community — feel it is safe and okay for federal agents with weapons to search for and/or confront suspected criminals?

(ie: immigrants who are suspected of “theft”)

Most people would not want their young children, or even young adults, to be in the middle of a crime scene, in the middle of the day, as our children are trying to learn.

The whole purpose of a school is to help young people. At school, young people come who are seeking the value of an education. The young people who attend school understand that they will be asked to do work and to live in a learning community.

Also, at a school, especially at an elementary school, parents leave their children somewhere all day expecting that caring adults will keep them safe, in a place made for learning, fun, and personal growth.

School cannot be a battleground or a war zone.

I am asking our school administrators, our school legal counsel, and our school board to protect the sanctity of the school as a learning community and a safe space.

If we do not make our school a “sanctuary space” and a “safe space” for children, then, the peace of mind of every student and every parent will be harmed. If we do not do everything we can to keep out of our schools federal agencies hunting for suspected criminals, then people may stop bringing their children to school. (That includes immigrant parents may worry about direct attacks on their children and communities, but also, every single parent, as they realize that their child is in the same hallway or lunchroom or classroom as the people being confronted by armed, federal agents.)

I hope that our school already has good processes and policies in place about what to do if the federal law enforcement or ICE asks about a student. Even more important, what to do if a federal agency dared to try to come take a staff member or student from our school building.

If we do not have such a policy, I request that we create one now. And, I request that our policies in this regard make our school a safe place and a sanctuary for all students, staff, and faculty.

Thank you for all you do for our school and community.

Yours Truly
[Signature and Date]

___________________________

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