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Leaders of the Salem-Keizer School District on Friday told families they will not collect or share information about student or family immigration status or allow immigration authorities inside schools, underscoring a long-standing practice.
The Salem-Keizer School Board is expected to discuss an accompanying resolution on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The message is a restatement of existing district policy and comes at a time of heightened fear and anxiety among immigrant communities as President-elect Donald Trump has promised he will direct a mass deportation after taking office in January.
“Salem-Keizer Public Schools students, staff and families originate from many different countries outside the United States. Some may have received temporary legal status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), may be undocumented, may have refugee or asylum status, and/or may live in mixed status households. We take their protection seriously,” the school board resolution reads.
“The Board finds that the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in District schools, on District property and on District transportation routes could disrupt the educational environment, cause trauma, and potentially interfere with constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizures,” it continues.
The board is expected to vote on that resolution in January, school district spokeswoman Emily Reverman said.
READ IT: Salem-Keizer School District immigration rights FAQ and message to families
Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said the resolution and public messages came after inquiries from several school board members who wanted to make the district’s position clear to the community.
“We don’t need to be able to predict the future in order to take the time to answer questions that are knowable,” Castañeda said. She said school district leaders have also been receiving questions from school principals seeking clarity about how to respond to family concerns.
Board Chair Cynthia Richardson didn’t respond to a call and text from Salem Reporter Friday seeking comment.
The resolution and accompanying policy statements note that school districts are legally required by a 1982 federal court ruling to educate all children, regardless of their immigration status.
Oregon’s so-called “sanctuary” law also forbids state and local law enforcement agencies from arresting or detaining people based solely on their immigration status.
“We want our families to know that their children are safe in our schools, regardless of immigration status. We want our children to know that there are institutions like schools that are helpers and are taking care of them,” Castañeda said.
The school district has had a “safe and welcoming schools” policy in place since 2016, which prohibits schools from collecting or maintaining records about students’ and families’ immigration status.
The policy also states federal immigration officials will not be allowed into schools beyond the front office without a court order, and that all such requests will be forwarded to the district’s attorney.
It’s been reaffirmed by the school board annually, most recently in August.
“Schools need to be safe zones. There must be places where people can conduct everyday business, living and learning, and do so free from fear of immigration action,” Castañeda said.
While the district doesn’t collect information about immigration status, its 38,000 students are increasingly diverse. The student body is nearly half Latino and speaks 130 languages.
Castañeda said the district does not maintain records of immigration status for its over 5,000 employees, beyond verifying that they are legally able to work in the U.S.
Some district employees have work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama administration program that allowed undocumented migrants brought to the U.S. as children to receive a quasi-legal status including the ability to work.
Because the district only knows that an employee can legally work, Castañeda said they would have no records to share if asked to provide a list of employees who are immigrants or are DACA recipients.
Correction: The Salem-Keizer School Board is holding a first reading of the resolution on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and will vote on adopting it at a later meeting. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
