Both the Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts issued statements on immigration and deportation in response to federal moves after the change of presidential administrations.
With a renewed push on illegal immigration and enforcement, President Donald Trump has said he wants millions of illegal immigrants sent back to their former countries, or, as he said Wednesday, sent to a concentration camp of sorts at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which would be expanded to accommodate 30,000 people.
Trump’s plan runs into two roadblocks though. One, anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parent’s immigration status, and is in the Constitution as the 14th Amendment. It is known as “birthright citizenship.”
The other is the Arkansas State Constitution says any resident of Arkansas, who is school-age, is guaranteed a public education.
Arkansas, for decades, has had a nationally recognized education program for the children of farmworkers, who worked the fields seasonally. The citizenship of those students doesn’t matter.
The U.S. The Supreme Court has also ruled that “a school district cannot deny any educational rights to any student, regardless of immigration status,” PCSSD said in its statement.
Immigration status is not collected, or tracked, at enrollment by the school districts.
PCSSD added the district “wants to ensure that all students and families feel safe and welcome at school” and that they “will follow school safety protocols, District policy, and state and federal laws, which provides guidance on who is allowed to contact students during the school day. We do not allow people to enter our school buildings without permission and proper clearance. We are required by federal law, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to limit who has access to student documents.”
North Little Rock’s statement was less direct and said the district would continue to provide, “a safe, learning environment for all students, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or immigration status.”
It also noted that immigration policies were still to be finalized but wanted to assure parents, “there is zero tolerance for discrimination” and “student information, including the immigration status of their family members, will not be shared with anyone.”
That assurance comes with a caveat as the district said it, “will honor and abide by all federal and state laws.”
The district also encouraged parents to “continue business as usual” and, “please do not retreat from activities out of concern for immigration and deportation concerns.”
The district also said it would not provide legal advice and contact an immigration lawyer with further questions.
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Districts issue statements on immigration
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Both the Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts issued statements on immigration and deportation in response to federal moves after the change of presidential administrations.
With a renewed push on illegal immigration and enforcement, President Donald Trump has said he wants millions of illegal immigrants sent back to their former countries, or, as he said Wednesday, sent to a concentration camp of sorts at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which would be expanded to accommodate 30,000 people.
Trump’s plan runs into two roadblocks though. One, anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parent’s immigration status, and is in the Constitution as the 14th Amendment. It is known as “birthright citizenship.”
The other is the Arkansas State Constitution says any resident of Arkansas, who is school-age, is guaranteed a public education.
Arkansas, for decades, has had a nationally recognized education program for the children of farmworkers, who worked the fields seasonally. The citizenship of those students doesn’t matter.
The U.S. The Supreme Court has also ruled that “a school district cannot deny any educational rights to any student, regardless of immigration status,” PCSSD said in its statement.
Immigration status is not collected, or tracked, at enrollment by the school districts.
PCSSD added the district “wants to ensure that all students and families feel safe and welcome at school” and that they “will follow school safety protocols, District policy, and state and federal laws, which provides guidance on who is allowed to contact students during the school day. We do not allow people to enter our school buildings without permission and proper clearance. We are required by federal law, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to limit who has access to student documents.”
North Little Rock’s statement was less direct and said the district would continue to provide, “a safe, learning environment for all students, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or immigration status.”
It also noted that immigration policies were still to be finalized but wanted to assure parents, “there is zero tolerance for discrimination” and “student information, including the immigration status of their family members, will not be shared with anyone.”
That assurance comes with a caveat as the district said it, “will honor and abide by all federal and state laws.”
The district also encouraged parents to “continue business as usual” and, “please do not retreat from activities out of concern for immigration and deportation concerns.”
The district also said it would not provide legal advice and contact an immigration lawyer with further questions.