Several school districts in Maine, which are members of the Cumberland County Superintendents’ Association, have joined together to release a statement in which they guarantee every student the right to have a public education, regardless of their legal immigration status in the US.
District officials pointed out in the statement that a ruling by the Supreme Court, back in 1982, legally prevents denial of an education by public school districts based on the immigration status of students. The statement comes after the Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, told a Congressional committee that local school districts needed to decide themselves about whether to report undocumented immigrant students to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But, the districts say that they are prohibited from denying students a public education because of their immigration status by federal law. The officials state that they remain committed to serving every student who goes to school, adding that any actions that made students afraid to go to school would violate their sacred commitment, as well as a constitutional requirement. The officials said that they are completely committed to providing students and families with a safe-haven, regardless of where they come from.
The statement also points out that districts have no awareness of the immigration status of their students as a matter of practice, and do not ask about their immigration status or that of their families because it has no relevance to their legal right to a full and equal education.