The Monroe County Community School Corp. board unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night affirming support for students of immigrant families, although some at the meeting felt the resolution did not go far enough in its efforts.
The resolution, which serves as a “recommitment to serving all students in an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment,” reiterated its current policies in regard to all students but with particular relevance to those who may be in the country without proper documentation.
It specifically highlights the district’s policy of not asking about the immigration status of students, prospective students or families of students. If a student or family member discloses their immigration status, “no record shall be kept of the disclosure,” the resolution states. It would also require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other immigration law enforcement agencies asking for student information to be referred to the school principal, who would work with the assistant superintendent, the director of student services and legal counsel.
Many school corporations throughout the country, including Indianapolis Public Schools, have passed similar resolutions as the White House cracks down on illegal immigration and families fear they will be deported or broken up. At a work session March 23, board members said they hoped the resolution would help ease those fears for families with children at MCCSC.
At the meeting Tuesday, local lawyer Christie Popp called the resolution “extremely weak” and called on the board to strengthen its stance.
“This is a scary time for undocumented immigrants,” said Popp, who has practiced immigration law for about a decade. Popp said the resolution takes for granted that ICE will respect the “sensitive locations” memo issued by former President Barack Obama, which lists schools as protected areas where ICE should not conduct raids or intercept people of interest to them. Reports throughout the country indicate that this is not the case, Popp argued.
“I believe that ICE should be banned from all MCCSC properties, and I think a resolution should strongly state that no MCCSC properties are open to ICE,” Popp said.