Concerned that students of families in the country without documentation are fearful of being apprehended at schools, a group of Durango High School students recently asked the school board to reassure those students of their safety while at school.
Durango School District 9-R board members agreed with the wishes of the students on the Prejudice Elimination Action Team.
It unanimously passed a resolution to reassure students in the country without documentation that they can attend school without worry of being apprehended by federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents on school grounds.
“We are saying we want ICE to honor its already-established policy to assure everyone that school is still a safe zone, and no enforcement actions will be taken on school grounds,” 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger said in a recent interview.
The resolution states: “The Board supports the U.S. immigration and Custom Enforcement declaration of schools as a sensitive location for its students, meaning that school is a place for students to learn, to thrive and to seek assistance, information and support in their learning experience.”
The resolution also states that the district will do everything it can to protect confidential information about its students to ensure learning is not disrupted. As part of that effort, the resolution noted the district will continue its practice to not collect any information about any student’s immigration status.
In addition, any request by outside agencies to any 9-R school to communicate with a student while the student is under supervision of the district in any school activity will be forwarded to the superintendent and the district’s legal team, and the team, in response to a request, will not share information or provide access to any student unless required to by law or unless a valid search warrant is issued by a federal or state judge.
“We wanted to make this as nonpolitical as possible,” Snowberger said.
“We just want ICE to honor its current policy not to conduct enforcement actions at schools.”
parmijo@durangoherald.com
