The Vancouver Public Schools immigration enforcement policy applies to activity directed toward students, families, staff and volunteers.
Troy Brynelson / OPB
The Vancouver Public Schools board voted this week to reaffirm its support for policies that limit federal immigration enforcement on school campuses. The vote during a special meeting Tuesday night was an effort to communicate that the district already has policies to shield students and families in the district, according to VPS board member Kyle Sproul.
“It can be an unsettling time, and I want to make sure that our students can access their education without fear and anxiety,” Sproul said.
Vancouver Public Schools is just one district in Southwest Washington to discuss the threat of federal immigration enforcement on district property after President Donald Trump issued executive orders aimed at increasing immigration arrests and deportations.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” a Department of Homeland Security Secretary spokesperson said in a Jan. 21 statement.
The Southwest Washington chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, hosts a program for youth at Union High School, which is part of Evergreen Public Schools, another district that’s in the process of voting on a similar resolution to the Vancouver district. Southwest Washington LULAC President Andy Lara said these kinds of efforts on the part of school districts reassure students, who may not have known about existing policies.
“I think, personally, this is a great move on both Vancouver and Evergreen school districts to publicly work with the community and reassure them in this time when a lot of the unknown is what causes fear in our community,” Lara said.
Vancouver’s policy is based on model regulations from the Washington state attorney general’s office. “Vancouver Public Schools is legally required to educate all students residing within its boundaries regardless of immigration status or national origin,” the policy says. “Consistent with this legal obligation, the district is committed to providing safe and non-disruptive learning environments for all students.”
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The VPS policy applies to enforcement activity aimed at students, families, staff and volunteers. Staff who witness immigration enforcement on district property must direct law enforcement officers to the principal before they’ll be permitted on school grounds, the policy says. Those officers will be required to provide a court order or judicial warrant, and their request must be forwarded to the superintendent and district legal counsel to be reviewed.
The policy also outlines how information that could potentially identify someone’s citizenship status should be collected in Vancouver Public Schools. It states that staff are not allowed to request or collect information about immigration or citizenship status, and the district must be transparent with families about any information that’s collected about a student’s birthplace for federal reporting requirements. Information requested by federal immigration authorities “will be presumed to be for immigration enforcement purposes,” it reads.
“I appreciate the urgency in this,” said school board member Sandra Zavala-Ortega. “I’ve been in rooms with students in our community that have wanted this done, and I’m really appreciative. There are going to be spaces where this information is going to be shared in the future.”
