School boards - action will be taken

I recently shared what I find to be a fairly typical school district mission statement:

In partnership with the community and its students,                          School District is committed to excellence by empowering and challenging all students to achieve their potential as life-long learners in an ever-changing global society.

The ideal district mission and vision statements are actionable: we can filter board actions through the lens of these statements, to ensure that they are consistent with the community’s vision for its schools. And sometimes, we need to challenge ourselves to live up to the lofty ideals of our mission.

Your district’s mission – morally, ethically and legally – is a commitment to ALL: empowering and challenging all students to achieve their potential as life-long learners and productive members of society.  Around the board table, we nod our heads and assure ourselves that we are committed to ALL, but then sometimes we need to demonstrate the depth of that commitment.

Now is one of those times.

On September 5, the Trump administration effectively suspended protection from deportation afforded to the children of undocumented parents through DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. These protections had extended to as many as 250,000 school-aged children – and 20,000 teachers – in the US, with an estimated 22,000 registered beneficiaries living in New Jersey.  The administration set a deadline of March 2018 for Congress to pass legislation to restore the protections and offer these children a path to permanent residency.

Constitutionally, there is some justification for achieving these ends legislatively, rather than through Obama’s original executive order.  And there is bipartisan agreement on the goal of affording protections to these children.  However, given our current political climate, we can’t let this languish.  Let your congressman or –woman know that, as public servants charged with empowering and challenging all students to achieve their potential as life-long learners, you urge them to support and advance a permanent and workable legislative solution that continues to extend protection from deportation to these children, offering them a pathway to productive lives as US residents.  

So far, 14,000 protected children have already lost protections, and 850 more lose theirs every week.  An extension resolution expires on January 19.  If you believe in the mission of your school board (and especially if recent immigrants represent a segment of your community), please propose and adopt a board resolution urging appropriate action by your local congress-person.  New Jersey School Boards Association offers a sample resolution here; you can also contact me at paul.breda@hotmail.com for other options.

In my district, children of recent immigrants form about half of the student population; but not unlike many other district boards of education, our membership does not reflect the demographics of the community we serve.  Putting ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors does not always come naturally.  I urge you and your board to live up to the expectations of your entire community.