Guidance issued for public schools amid immigration crackdown

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The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) issued guidance on January 23 for how Washington public schools should act amid a string of new immigration policies enacted by the Trump administration.

The guidance cited state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, citizenship and immigration status in how public school staff should behave and interact with students who are immigrants.

“Washington public schools must not initiate engagement with federal immigration authorities for the purpose of sharing student information,” the guidance stated. “It is inconsistent with our state and federal constitutional mandates to serve every student.”

The guidelines urged schools not to deny admission to students on the basis of immigration status, clarified that families do not need to provide Social Security numbers or birth certificates for enrollment, and that schools have no legal authority to enforce federal immigration laws.

OSPI shared a pair of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that uphold its stance, citing Plyler v. Doe (1982), which affirmed that denying public school enrollment to undocumented children is in violation of the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment of the Constitution, and Lau v. Nichols (1974), which requires schools to provide “meaningful participation” for students with limited English proficiency.

The Trump administration has revoked Biden-era guidelines that, among them, had kept immigration enforcement from entering spaces such as schools and churches. Many of those policies have already been challenged in court by over 20 states, including Washington.

“In Washington state, we will do everything we can to protect our students, no matter their citizenship status,” state superintendent Chris Reykdal wrote in a statement. “Our State Constitution ensures access to a basic education for every child residing within our state’s borders. Our Constitution does not identify citizenship as a qualification to receive an education.”

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