Immigration Justice

By: National Education Association

Published: May 12, 2023

This toolkit originally appeared on NEA.org

How to use this toolkit

Learn about current immigration issues and the status of DREAMers and DACA recipients.
Find out how your school can become a safe zone for immigrant students and communities in the face of harsh immigration enforcement.
Take action for fair and just immigration policies.

Viewing: Toolkit Section Title

CONTEXT

More than 18 million children under age 18 have a parent born outside the United States—and nearly 40 percent of them live in households where neither parent is a U.S. citizen. Dreamers, DACA recipients, individuals with temporary protected status, and other immigrants play a vital role in our economy and everyday lives.

We support commonsense immigration reforms that include:

Addressing the millions of students and young adults who were brought here as children by their parents
Preserving family unity

Creating a realistic, humane, and legal path to citizenship and strengthening labor protections for the aspiring citizens who call America home
Ensuring that all individuals who arrive at our borders have a right to seek asylum
Providing resources for mental health and migration-based trauma
Fostering a welcoming environment for all children and educators, regardless of the language they speak or immigration status

We are joining together with people across racial differences to demand fair and safe immigration processes for all families, just like we won civil rights in our past. We can make this a place that honors all families, no exceptions.

Narratives

How we speak about issues is of critical importance in activism. Use these narratives for creative and social media content, visuals, public messages, calls to action, spokesperson materials, and more.

3 Key Narratives

A Quality Education is a Constitutional Right

Immigration issues may seem complicated, but some things are simple. We must uphold the Constitutional right of all children in the United States to receive a K-12 education, regardless of their immigration status. We will not separate families. We must provide a trusted path to citizenship for immigrant Dreamers. We should provide resources for mental health and English language learners (ELLs). And we should achieve this through creating an immigration system that is humane, functional, and just.

Anti-Immigrant Policies are a Political Distraction

No matter what our immigration status is—or where we come from, what color our skin is, what language we speak, or how we worship—most of us work hard for our families and want to ensure their safety and well-being. But today, certain politicians want to distract us from their failures in governing by pointing the finger at new and undocumented immigrants and supporting overly harsh policies that harm all of us by criminalizing families for wanting safety and a better future. Instead of honoring immigrants’ courage and commitment, they endeavor to divide and distract us by generating fear based on race or place of origin.

Community Schools are a Lifeline for Immigrant Families

Across our country, public schools are welcoming places that nurture learning and create environments that foster growth and creativity. They also serve as resource hubs, connecting families with their communities and resources.

America is the only home I can remember, and yet I feel alienated and unwelcome. It’s mentally and emotionally draining to ... get people to understand that my family is as American as any other.

Quote by: Alondra García, Wisconsin, Second Grade Bilingual Teacher

Post this An undocumented educator shares her experience

Make your Campus a Safe Zone

A pragmatic approach to immigration is critical for our students — the center of our communities. All students should have the opportunity to learn without the fear and distress that results from harsh immigration enforcement. Educators are witnessing the impact of this trauma on our students, their families and our communities firsthand. Many school districts are making their campuses “safe zones” for immigrant students and communities. You can be part of this movement.

FAQ: School Board Resolutions

What can we do to address student fear about aggressive immigration enforcement?

Join with your local NEA association to lobby your school board for a SAFE ZONE resolution. It contains reassurances for students, procedures for responding to law enforcement, and information and support for families and staff. Countless school districts across the country have already passed SAFE ZONE resolutions. These districts include large urban districts like Los Angeles, to small rural districts in Colorado and New Hampshire, and everywhere in between, such as Omaha, Nebraska, and Louisville, Kentucky.

What can we do to address student fear about aggressive immigration enforcement?

Does a SAFE ZONE resolution require additional district expenditures, staff responsibilities, school hours, or other resources?

No, unless you wish to add support beyond NEA’s template, such as adding a counselor for extra support for immigrant students who are in crisis. The template SAFE ZONE resolution reaffirms and clarifies the constitutional right all students have, regardless of immigration status, to access a free public K-12 education. The district administration will need to take steps to ensure the resolution’s requirements are being fulfilled as outlined in the district policy attached to the NEA template SAFE ZONE board resolution, but it does not add new or different job duties or hours for educators.

Can I discuss immigration enforcement and student fears in my classroom?

Yes, if your school board passes a SAFE ZONE resolution that provides for such discussion, the discussion is age appropriate and mandatory curricular subjects are also covered in a timely way. The productivity of the learning environment improves when pressing concerns of students can be addressed. In the absence of a SAFE ZONE resolution, NEA recommends you follow existing district rules on classroom teaching.

Sample School Board Resolution

NEA has developed sample resolution text local school districts can use as a template or guidance to create their own Safe Zones. You can also download a PDF version.

___________ BOARD OF EDUCATION

RESOLUTION NO. ____

WHEREAS, it is the right of every child, regardless of immigration status, to access a free public K-12 education and the District welcomes and supports all students;

WHEREAS, the District has a responsibility to ensure that all students who reside within its boundaries, regardless of immigration status, can safely access a free public K-12 education;

WHEREAS, federal immigration law enforcement activities, on or around District property and transportation routes, whether by surveillance, interview, demand for information, arrest, detention, or any other means, harmfully disrupt the learning environment to which all students, regardless of immigration status, are entitled and significantly interfere with the ability of all students, including U.S. citizen students and students who hold other legal grounds for presence in the U.S., to access a free public K-12 education;

WHEREAS, through its policies and practices, the District has made a commitment to a quality education for all students, which includes a safe and stable learning environment, means of transportation to and from school sites, the preservation of classroom hours for educational instruction, and the requirement of school attendance;

WHEREAS, parents and students have expressed to the District fear and confusion about the continued physical and emotional safety of all students and the right to access a free public K-12 education through District schools and programs;

AND WHEREAS, educational personnel are often the primary sources of support, resources, and information to assist and support students and student learning, which includes their emotional health;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Immigrations Enforcement Office (ICE), state or local law enforcement agencies acting on behalf of ICE, or agents or officers for any federal, state, or local agency attempting to enforce federal immigration laws, are to follow District Policy ___, attached to and incorporated in this Resolution, to ensure the District meets its duty to provide all students, regardless of immigration status, access to a free public K-12 education;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board declares the District to be a Safe Zone for its students, meaning that the District is a place for students to learn, to thrive and to seek assistance, information, and support related to any immigration law enforcement that interferes with their learning experience;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the District shall, within 30 days of the date of this Resolution, create a Rapid Response Team to prepare in the event a minor child attending school in the District is deprived of adult care, supervision, or guardianship outside of school due to a federal law enforcement action, such as detention by ICE or a cooperating law enforcement agency;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, it continues to be the policy of the District not to allow any individual or organization to enter a school site if the educational setting would be disrupted by that visit; given the likelihood of substantial disruption posed by the presence of ICE or state or local law enforcement agencies acting for ICE, any request by ICE or other agencies to visit a school site should be presented to the Superintendent’s Office for review as to whether access to the site is permitted by law, a judicial warrant is required, or any other legal considerations apply; this review should be made expeditiously, but before any immigration law enforcement agent or officer appears at a school site;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in its continued commitment to the protection of student privacy, the District shall review its record-keeping policies and practices to ensure that no data is being collected with respect to students’ immigration status or place of birth; and cease any such collection as it is irrelevant to the educational enterprise and potentially discriminatory;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, should ICE or other immigration law enforcement agents request any student information, the request should be referred to the Superintendent’s Office to ensure compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), student constitutional privacy, standards for a judicial warrant, and any other limitation on disclosure; this review should be conducted expeditiously, but before any production of information is made;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the District shall post this Resolution at every school site and distribute it to District staff, students, and parents using usual means of communication, and that the Resolution will be translated into all languages spoken by students at home;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Superintendent shall report back on compliance with this Resolution to the Board at its next meeting;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board directs the Superintendent to review District policies and practices regarding bullying and report back to the Board at its next meeting and communicate to staff, students, and parents the importance of maintaining a bullying-free environment for all students;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board affirms that certificated District employees have the academic freedom to discuss this Resolution during class time provided it is age-appropriate; and students are to be made aware that District counselors are available to discuss the subjects contained in this Resolution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, after-school providers and other vendors and service providers who contract with the District shall be notified of this Resolution within 30 days and required to abide by it.

[FOLLOWED BY SCHOOL BOARD SIGNATURE PAGE]

Sample District Policy

NEA has developed sample policy text local school districts can use as a template or guidance to create their own Safe Zone policy. You can also download a PDF version.

DISTRICT POLICY NO. ____________

ACCESS TO EDUCATION, STUDENT PRIVACY, AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

School personnel must not allow any third party access to a school site without permission of the site administrator. The site administrator shall not permit third party access to the school site that would cause disruption to the learning environment.

The School Board, in Resolution No. ________, based on its educational experience and as part of its deliberative process as our governing body, has found that access to a school site by immigration law enforcement agents substantially disrupts the learning environment and any such request for access should be referred to the Superintendent’s Office immediately.

School personnel must contact the Superintendent’s Office immediately if approached by immigration law enforcement agents. Personnel must also attempt to contact the parents or guardians of any students involved.

The Superintendent’s Office must process requests by immigration law enforcement agents to enter a school site or obtain student data as follows:

1. Request identification from the officers or agents and photocopy it;

2. Request a judicial warrant and photocopy it;

a. If no warrant is presented, request the grounds for access, make notes, and contact legal counsel for the District;

3. Request and retain notes of the names of the students and the reasons for the request;

a. If school site personnel have not yet contacted the students’ parents or guardians, do so;

b. Do not attempt to provide your own information or conjecture about the students, such as their schedule, for example, without legal counsel present;

4. Provide the agents with a copy of this Policy and Resolution No. __________;

5. Contact legal counsel for the District;

6. Request the agents’ contact information; and

7. Advise the agents you are required to complete these steps prior to allowing them access to any school site or student data.

We need a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S. This would be such a victory for all of us and would solidify years of grassroots organizing.

Quote by: Viridiana Castro Silva, California, Aspiring Educator

Post this An undocumented educator shares her experience

Put Your School District on the Map

Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Omaha, Miami, Nashville, Pittsburgh… these are just a few of the scores of cities and communities across the country where school districts have passed their own safe zone resolutions. Click on the map below to see where school districts have passed or are considering Safe Zones policies to protect our immigrant students!

Learn More

Do More

We need to build our communities. We need to fully fund public schools. We need to hold our elected leaders accountable to the people. And we need your help to make it happen.

How to use this toolkit

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