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By Michael Bielawski
A new policy at the Winooski School District would designate it a “sanctuary school” for foreign students whose families are not legally in the U.S. It would prohibit cooperation with federal agents regarding immigration enforcement, and potentially compromise access to any federal funds used to run the school.
At the school’s next board meeting, Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria is expected to present a draft policy.
The policy can be read here. It will be discussed at their next school board meeting on Jan. 8 meeting at 6 pm.
The policy states that it is:
“In fulfillment of its obligation to provide a public education free of barriers, regardless of a child’s or family member’s immigration status, absent any applicable federal or state law, state regulation, or court decision, the Winooski School District site shall establish itself as a safe place for its students and their families if faced with fear and anxiety about immigration enforcement efforts.”
The ‘status’ is not just in name as actions would be taken including the Superintendent would assign a “district officer and respective office to be established as resource and information site for immigrant students and families.”
These officers will seek to, “increase and enhance partnerships with community-based organizations and legal services organizations who provide resources for families facing deportation.”
It says that any information obtained by the school regarding immigration – or gender identity – will be kept confidential.
“Any communication to federal agencies or officials initiated by a school or school personnel concerning confidential information about a student or a student’s family member, including but not limited to: information about gender identity; sexual orientation,” it states.
Legal precedence?
The statement cites legal precedents. It states,
“The United States Supreme Court held in Plyler v. Doe (1982) that no public school District has a basis to deny children access to education based on their immigration status, citing the harm it would inflict on the child and society itself and their rights to equal protection and due process enshrined by the Fourteenth Amendment;”
Not all the judges agreed on the 1982 decision. The decision summary states, “apparently the view of the dissenting Justices, [is] that the undocumented status of these children vel non establishes a sufficient rational basis for denying them benefits that a State might choose to afford other residents.”
Feds’ money in question?
According to a 2019 report by the Federal Congressional Research Service, Vermont public schools that year received 8.3% of all funds from the federal government. It is anticipated that the incoming Trump Administration policies will challenge the sanctuary status of communities – and potentially schools as well.”
Newsweek on Dec. 7, 2024, noted federal money can become compromised if municipalities choose to take on activist causes. Gabe Whisnant wrote, “In addition, [legal expert Robert] Turley wrote that the federal government also has the leverage to restrict funds to non-cooperative cities, impacting their budgets severely.” The story does not specifically address school funding and activism.
VTDigger wrote that immigration advocates anticipate new challenges from the incoming administration. Auditi Guha wrote, “The Trump administration responded by waging legal challenges [during his first administration] and attempting to withhold federal funding from those places — something his new ‘border czar’ Tom Holman has again pledged to do.”
“Equity & Antiracism”
The school website’s “Equity & Antiracism“ section reveals that the school has been involved in politicized efforts to address alleged racism.
“The purpose of this site is to organize the work around a common vision of equity and antiracism and to provide clear, transparent updates about what is happening and how the community can get involved,” the page states.
It continues, “During public comments [in 2020], over a dozen students [from the group ‘Winooski Students for Antiracismor’ or WSA] and alumni shared personal testimonies illustrating the long history of prejudice and racism within the Winooski schools and community.”
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Education
Tom Homan, they are making it easy for you!
Winooski here’s your sign.
All in on this as long as as part of the sanctuary status they don’t taint themselves with use of state or federal funds and place the burden on the good citizens of Winooski to enjoy the benefits of their wonderful status.
A very noble gesture as long as someone else picks up the tab- as has been the case of Winooski for far too long.
We just asked your incoming POTUS – and that was a big “NO”. You see, you live within the United States of America, are governed by the Constitution, and don’t reside in some deluded fantasy dystopia. Can you yet comprender?
Please note that this article does not tell us how many ‘undocumented’ students attend the Winooski school district. Of course, it really doesn’t have to. We get the idea. It’s not difficult to conflate the fact that when Winooski school administrators want to be a ‘sanctuary’, it means they want more ‘undocumented’ students.
So – it’s obviously not the Winooski school district (i.e., the electorate and taxpayer) that wants to be a sanctuary. It’s Winooski school district administrators, teachers, and NGO educational service providers who want the designation because, without those students the district would have to cut their jobs.
As the saying often goes here on VDC when describing Vermont’s bureaucratic Administrative State – ‘It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It’.
Unfortunately, Winooski school district personnel know perfectly well what’s going on – and they should be treated accordingly. This is tantamount to child trafficking.
PS. Keep in mind that being ‘undocumented’ means ‘immigration status’ does not exist. The Plyler v. Doe decisions does not say ‘… that no public school District has a basis to deny children access to education if they are [criminals]”.
But can we blame the children?
As with anyone who, for whatever reason, illegally traffics children for personal gain, the people who should be held accountable are those who aid and abet this criminal activity in the first place… which clearly includes Winooski school district administrators.
A failure to adhere to the law or a failure to accommodate it’s due process does not constitute social justice activism, just defiance. Some of these jurisdictions are behaving like some of our local chronic lawbreakers by demonstrating their lack of personal responsibility and using victimhood as their excuse. Winooski can claim that they are “addressing racism” but ICE is not concerned about race, only whether someone has violated our immigration laws. Enough of this “brave little state” crap. Federal funding comes with legitimate strings attached. MAGA!
Bravo. And Ditto.
They stick the bill to the taxpayers. this is why school budgets are increasing. Add to the cost that migrant children are often traumatized by the journey through the Darien Gap and cartels. According to the United Nations and World Bank, these children need mental health and social, emotional, and learning programs. This is paid gor via Medicaid funds according to Senator Ruth Hardy who serves on a healthcare committee and was discussing with taxpayers in Cornwall why taxes are so high. In addition, she stated that children are all of a sudden needing speech language therapy. This can be tracked directly to mask mandates and put mask protocols.
Hey Winooski, thanks for the heads-up. I hope they are all legal. If you are looking for federal help, you’ll be getting it, but it won’t be funds, just agents!!
How pathetic
No surprise, coming from Winooski, which is one of the cities that allows non citizens to vote. Winooski school district just kissed any federal add goodbye, morons
Give them a shovel and they’ll happily dig their own graves—smug and virtuous to the end.
ESL students are weighted 2.5 times greater other categories of students under Act 127: https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT127/ACT127%20As%20Enacted.pdf
More $$$ per ESL pupil. Cha-CHING!
They aren’t going to do jack. There were more deported under Obama than Trump. Trump wasted our money and resources building a steel fence that can be defeated in 5 minutes with a $12 saw blade. Genius! Believe what comes out of the politician’s mouth over and over again? They are all in on it together, this is what we would call a facade/controlled opposition. “Day 1 no more gun free zones” – Trump
Is it day 1 yet?
If people are wondering why their is so much crime beside the DA’s and courts not protecting us just look at our various governments, State, Federal, Municipal and now school districts.
Many think they are above the law. Some think they’re not part of the U.S. and not obligated to follow the laws of the land. We have evolved into feudal times and no better than the warlords in Afghanistan.
We don’t have to follow the laws regarding drugs or Immigration. When you have states competing with drug dealers for Pot money what is one to think? Buy legalizing Pot the grew the drug market exponentially. It simple business 101.
Again, what’s the average criminal, gang banger and marginal people to think – if the government doesn’t have to follow the law – why should they?
Sociology 101 or simple
I suggest that all commenters and others opposed to this policy attend the aforementioned schoolboard meeting to hear the reasoning behind the decision and to express their opposition to the policy in a reasoned voice with civility.
Karen: Anyone taking the time to review the public minutes from previous Winooski school board meetings can see ‘the reasoning behind the decision’. Specifically: “Protecting the weights, particularly for Multilingual Students and students who live in poverty.”
In case readers can’t read between the lines, the current education funding algorithms incentivize these policies by exponentially increasing the share of funding the schools following this directive receive.
And, in case readers don’t have the critical thinking skills they were supposed to learn when they attended our public schools, please understand that these incentives will expand to every school district in Vermont, lest they not maximize their funding share.
In other words, if anyone believes our legislature or executive branch can do anything to slow our ballooning education costs and corresponding property taxes, think again.
And understand this: ‘bankruptcy happens gradually, and then suddenly’.