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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Yakima County school districts voice support for immigrant students and families

By Tammy Ayer Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA – As concern about immigration enforcement intensifies, the Yakima, Sunnyside and Mabton school districts reaffirmed their role of educating all students and their districts’ support of immigrant students and families.

Yakima County has 15 public school districts. They’re among school districts throughout the state that are following updates from state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as families have shared concerns about immigration enforcement.

President Donald Trump last week ended policies that prevented federal immigration enforcement in churches, schools and other sensitive places, as part of a number of changes designed to increase immigration enforcement nationwide.

The OSPI says school districts should not require students or parents to disclose or document their immigration status, and should provide services to all students, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.

Some Washington school districts have noted that while they follow state and federal laws, state law prohibits immigration enforcement on school property without a valid court order or judicial warrant.

‘Places of safety’

Ryan Maxwell, superintendent of the Sunnyside School District, stressed that its schools “must remain places of safety and stability, free from unnecessary interference by outside agencies unless it directly concerns the safety of our students,” he said in a statement.

Maxwell said the district does not grant permission for immigration enforcement on any school property. “Our facilities, staff and information will not be used to support the operations of outside agencies,” he added.

The district has specific policies concerning its relationship with law enforcement and doesn’t release any student information without the signed consent of a parent, Maxwell said.

The Yakima School District sent a message to families noting that recent updates from the OSPI “align with the protections and programs we already have in place.”

The district does not ask for or share immigration status information; provides migrant education and newcomer programs, and offers translation and interpretation to support family engagement, the message said.

Mabton School Board members are updating district policy to align with guidance from the Washington State School Directors’ Association and the state Attorney General’s office, interim Superintendent Elyse Megarelli said in a statement. The updates will reinforce protections that limit immigration enforcement activities on school grounds, she said.

Board members scheduled a first read of the updates during a Monday meeting.

“Upon review, we identified that our current civil rights and immigration policies were outdated and did not adequately reflect the district’s current values, beliefs, or the diverse needs of our community,” the agenda item said.

Mabton school officials also encourage families to attend a migrant parent meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the high school library at 500 B. St. The meeting will provide resources for immigration safety planning, according to the district statement.

State response team

On Monday, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order creating a family separation rapid response team in the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

Its work addressing family separation will involve communicating with OSPI and local school districts “to develop strategies for mitigating disruption to the education and development of children whose parents are deported or detained,” a news release said.

The team will also create proactive lines of communication between DCYF, OSPI and local school districts “to permit quick and responsive action when prompt cooperation is needed to support the child, including if a child’s parents are taken for deportation or detention while the child is at school,” it said.