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Pasadena Board of Education Unanimously Passes ‘Safe Schools’ Resolution, Two Councilmembers Speak in Favor of Measure

Directive aims to protect school campuses from Federal immigration visits or harassment

Published on Friday, December 23, 2016 | 5:57 am
 
Left; Julianna Serrano, of All Saints Church, speaks in favor of the resolution, Top Middle; PUSD Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald listens to public comments, Bottom Middle; Parents and teachers fill the school board chambers, Right; Pablo Alvarado speaks to the school board on Resolution 2386

Following over an hour of poignant public comment, the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education unanimously passed Resolution 2386, which declares that “every Pasadena Unified School District site is a safe place for its students and their families to seek help, assistance, and information if faced with fear and anxiety about related immigration enforcement efforts.”

The resolution further stated that “no public school district has a basis to deny children access to education based on their immigration status.”

Tumultuous applause broke out in the packed board chambers following the vote from the families and supporters of the resolution, who ranged from teachers and parents, to labor organizers and faith-based representatives.

Pasadena City Councilmembers Victor Gordo and Steve Madison both testified in favor of the resolution to the school board.

Gordo’s testimony was particularly personal for him, as he told the Board, “I can still remember as a five year-old living in a garage apartment in Pasadena with my family, that there was a red Folger’s coffee can in the corner. Inside were documents, lists of friends and family members, and cash. I knew that if my parents ever didn’t come home one night, because they had been arrested by Immigration, I was to take that can and go to the neighbors’ home.”

Councilmember Madison spoke to the board “as the parent of two half-Latino children,” and told them that both he and Councilmember Gordo would soon be bringing an official motion to the City Council for the City of Pasadena to officially declare itself a “Sanctuary City.”

The slightly modified final resolution stated that “in order to provide a public education, regardless of a child or family’s immigration status, absent any applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, ordinance or court decision, the District shall abide by the following conduct: District personnel shall treat all students equitably in the receipt of all school services, including, but not limited to, the free and reduced lunch program, transportation, and educational instruction; District personnel shall not inquire about a student’s immigration status, including that of family members; Any request by ICE for information or to access a school site shall be immediately forwarded to the Superintendent and General Counsel for review and a decision on whether to allow access to the site and provision of information ensuring District compliance with Plyler and other applicable laws.

In the passed resolution, the word, “ICE” was replaced by “Federal Immigration Authorities” in a friendly amendment offered by Board Member Patrick Cahalan.

The PUSD resolution is based on the 1982 United States Supreme Court decision of Plyler v. Doe, which ruled that “no public school district has a basis to deny children access to education based on their immigration status, citing that children have little control over their immigration status, the harm it would inflict on the child and society itself, and equal protection rights of the 14th Amendment.”

The resolution also noted recent media reports which state that since the 2015 holiday season, at least 121 people, many of them from Central American countries, have been detained by the Office of Immigration and CustomsEnforcement (ICE) in raids in Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina.

“Although large scale ICE operations under any new directive have not yet been carried out in Southern California,” the resolution stated that “immigration enforcement does affect Pasadena Unified School District families every day.

“The Administration’s shift in enforcement priority,” the resolution continued, “has created a climate of heightened fear and anxiety for many District students and their families.”

“As a Pasadena resident I am glad that the PUSD is taking proactive steps to protect immigrant and Latino students,” said Pablo Alvarado, Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Pasadena Community Job Center. “In Pasadena over half of the students are of Latino origin and we need to ensure that they and their families feel safe while in school. We also expect campus and city police to fully understand the significance of this resolution and abide by it.”

“The sad truth,” said Pasadena resident and Occidental College professor Peter Dreier, “Is that we have elected a racist, bully, neo-fascist racist to lead this country, and families will be torn apart.” Drier also said that many of his students have been traumatized by the election and they are “having a hard time” as they worry about their families being deported.

“We must try to protect all of them from the disastrous consequences of this election,” he said.

Echoing his comments, Julianna Serrano, Senior Associate for Peace & Justice at All Saints’ Church, said, “The failure of our Federal government to enact progressive Immigration reform has had detrimental effects on immigrant families who inevitably include our friends, neighbors, colleagues, congregants, constituents and students, effects that include fear, and anxiety and severe trauma.”

During the discussion over the resolution, Eric Zahakian, associate school superintendent for school services outlined notes for a work plan which would be developed and presented to the Board at the next meeting, to establish protocol for enforcement of the resolution, should school personnel fail to follow the directive.

Meanwhile, the year-long criticism of Madison Elementary School President Juan Ruelas continued, with parents now accusing Ruelas of threatening parents with deportation for complaining about his school policies.

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