The Sulphur Springs Union School District board is scheduled Wednesday to consider a staff recommendation to approve a new board policy and administrative regulation intended to ensure the district is following state and federal regulations regarding immigration enforcement.
Both Board Policy 5145.13 and Administrative Regulation 5145.13 were reviewed in January, and at the time the district had the most updated policies in place, district Superintendent Catherine Kawaguchi wrote in an email to The Signal on Tuesday.
Recently the California School Boards Association updated both the board policy and administrative regulations to comply with current Education Code and state law, according to Kawaguchi. The policy and regulations with its updated language are recommended for approval.
The regulation mentions procedures of how district personnel will handle immigration enforcement-related situations including: responding to requests of information, collecting and retaining student information, inquiries regarding immigration status and citizenship status, responding to requests for access to students or school grounds, and responding to detention or deportation of a student’s family member.
The district board policy manual also states, “District staff shall not solicit or collect information or documents, and shall not seek or require information or documents to the exclusion of other permissible information or documents, regarding the citizenship or immigration status of a student or the student’s family member.” The manual cites Education Code sections 200, 220 and 234.1.
Resources and data collected by the district shall not be used directly, or by others to compile a list, registry, or database of individuals based on national origin, immigration status, religion, or other category of individual characterization protected against unlawful discrimination, the policy manual also stated, citing Government Code 8310.3.
The district’s superintendent or designee may also provide training to staff regarding immigration issues, including information on responding to a request from a law enforcement officer to visit a school site or to have access to a student, the policy manual reads.
If a law enforcement officer requests access to a school site or to information in relation to enforcing immigration laws, the superintendent or designee shall report to the board in a timely manner any requests, and that notification will also ensure confidentiality and privacy of any potential identifying information, the policy manual states.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. at the district office, located at 27000 Weyerhaeuser Way in Canyon Country.
