washington school district voted unanimously to ban U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials raise concerns from school campuses, saying they could create “stressful situations” for migrant children and their families. Spokesman – Review The story was reported by a nonprofit advocacy group.
Spokane Public Schools officials adopted a new policy Wednesday that says staff will not allow Border Patrol and immigration officials to enter school grounds in an official capacity unless they have prior approval from the district’s superintendent. . Superintendent Adam Swinyard noted that the policy does not prevent parents who are Border Patrol agents or immigration agents from being involved in their children’s education while off-duty. However, Border Patrol agents are prohibited from serving as guest speakers in classrooms.
“The policy prohibits them from engaging with our schools if they are acting in an official capacity,” Mr Swinyard said. “As a parent, if you are acting as a parent, you have the right to participate in your child’s school experience, but you are not acting in an official capacity.”
Board President Nikki Otero-Lockwood said at the Feb. 21 school board meeting that the added language “makes it very clear that Border Patrol agents should not be stationed in schools.”
SPS policy states that school district activities should not intersect with border patrol operations because schools’ “obligation to educate children residing within the border is not diminished by the immigration status of the child or parent.”
The district’s vote Wednesday also added language to an existing policy declaring that employees “may not cooperate with immigration enforcement or share information that could jeopardize the safety of students.” It was done.
The nonprofit advocacy group Latinos En Spokane has been lobbying school districts to adopt the policy since 2018. The Border Patrol’s presence on campus can be traumatic and even cause fear and anxiety for immigrant students and families, said Jennyfer Mesa, the group’s executive director. The Spokesman-Review reported.
“School is a safe place, a place where we come to learn,” Mesa said. She claimed that Border Patrol agents and immigration officials could target students “as immigrants” because of their “accents.”
“If you’re asked something about your parents, it can be a stressful situation,” Mesa said. “These fears and stressors can cause PTSD in students and families who have experienced family separation, leading to anxiety about family members.”
Mesa said SPS chose to impose the ban after consultation with nonprofit organizations and a petition signed by 780 people supporting the new measures.
“Just today, we received reports of two people being picked up by ICE,” Mesa continued. “They were on their way to work. They were in Spokane Valley. They’re coming to be picked up. It’s a missing community member and we will try to track them down and get them back with their families.” It needs to happen. This happens every day in Spokane. It doesn’t need to happen in our schools.”
Spokane Border Patrol Agent in Charge Lloyd Easterling released a statement following SPS’s new policy, calling the decision “unfortunate.”
“When agents and police officers attend school events, they are there solely at the school’s invitation for educational purposes, not to conduct immigration enforcement activities,” he wrote. “CBP officers and personnel are undisputedly present at countless events in schools across the country.”
“Our officers and deputies are active members of the community, and some of our children attend local schools,” Easterling continued. “fact [that] The school board’s intolerant stance toward law enforcement is disappointing and makes our community less safe. ”
SPS did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
