RESOLUTION TO KEEP AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS A  SAFE AND INCLUSIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITY Background of the Resolution  The United States of America was built by diverse people. Aurora is the most diverse city in Colorado, and Aurora Public Schools educates students of diverse immigration and documentation status. Aurora’s students and families have come together to compose this resolution to designate Aurora Public Schools a safe and inclusive school community. In 1975, Texas revised its education laws to withhold state funding for the education of undocumented children, authorizing school districts to deny enrollment to undocumented students. The United States Supreme Court struck down this state statute in 1982 through Plyer v. Doe, deciding that, regardless of citizenship and immigration status, all children residing in the United States shall have access to K-12 education. This includes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students, documented students, and undocumented students. Education plays a critical role in empowering our society and can pave the way for equity and opportunity. As stated in the APS 2020 strategic plan core beliefs, families are partners in education and student safety is essential to the APS vision and mission. Families and students coming together to create this resolution is in direct alignment with the school district’s plan to help every student shape a successful future. 1 RESOLUTION TO KEEP AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS A  SAFE AND INCLUSIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 1. WHEREAS: It is the goal and the commitment of the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education to support all students’ ability to succeed by cultivating learning environments that are physically and emotionally safe and supportive, regardless of citizenship and immigration status, to embrace and value our diversity, and to act quickly to prevent and address any and all issues of discrimination and harassment in our schools. In light of this, we believe it is necessary to adopt a resolution to keep Aurora Public Schools a safe and inclusive school community; 2. WHEREAS: Any resident in the state of Colorado who is between the age of six (6) years and is under the age of twenty-one (21) years is entitled to attend public school in the school district where he or she is a resident. The United States Supreme Court held in Plyer 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 the equal protection rights of the Fourteenth Amendment, we welcome and support all students served by Aurora Public Schools; 3. WHEREAS: Aurora Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in Colorado, and one of the most racially/ethnically diverse school district in Colorado; Aurora Public Schools students come from more than 130 different countries and speak more than 130 different languages, including: Spanish, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali, and Amharic. Thirty-six percent of Aurora Public Schools students speak English as a Second Language, of these, 82% are native Spanish speakers; Fifty-five percent of the more than 40,000 students in Aurora Public Schools are Latino, 82% of students are students of color, and more than 68% percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch; 4. WHEREAS: Public schools and school districts are subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, or disability; 5. WHEREAS: School attendance and learning should be encouraged and schools should be safe for all students; 6. WHEREAS: No written state or federal law mandates that local school districts assist with the enforcement of immigration laws. Aurora Public Schools will keep students and families safe while they are on school property in an effort to comply with state and federal law; 7. WHEREAS: On February 24, 2017, Aurora Public School distributed the memo entitled: “RESPONDING TO REQUESTS FOR ACCESS TO DISTRICT PROPERTY, STUDENTS, OR STUDENT RECORDS BY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT” to its school leaders outlining the procedures and protocol when interacting with Immigration and 2 Customs Enforcement’s (ICE); 8. WHEREAS: Concerns about immigration status create severe emotional, psychological, and physical barriers to learning, education, and the relationships that students, families and school staff develop; The school community requires access to resources that can ameliorate these barriers to learning; 9. WHEREAS: In the event that a parent/guardian is unable to retrieve a student from school, the APS should have policies and procedures in place to protect and care for such students until a guardian or other designated adult is able to retrieve the student; all teachers, administrators and staff should understand and be able to implement the adopted procedures; 1. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the Governing Board of the Aurora Public School District and the Superintendent hereby declare that they will keep every Aurora Public Schools site a safe and inclusive school community for its students and their families; 2. RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Board and the Superintendent shall allow communitybased organizations and legal service organizations to provide resources and information for immigrant students and families at all district facilities, including K-12 schools, early education centers, adult schools, and parent centers. The Board and the Superintendent shall work to increase and enhance partnerships with these community-based organizations and legal service organizations that combat discrimination; 3. RESOLVED FURTHER: In order to provide a public education, regardless of a child’s or family member’s citizenship or immigration status, absent any applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, ordinance or court decision, Aurora Public School District shall continue to abide by the following: a. District personnel are prohibited from inquiring about or recording a student’s or a student’s family member’s immigration status, and pursuant to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), shall not disclose, without parental or guardian consent, the immigration status or other personally identifiable information of any student. b. In the next 90 days, the memo entitled: “RESPONDING TO REQUESTS FOR ACCESS TO DISTRICT PROPERTY, STUDENTS, OR STUDENT RECORDS BY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT” shall be translated into the top 10 languages and be made available to all APS families by posting on the district website and all school websites; All APS staff shall be provided by paper or electronically with the memo; c. RESOLVED FURTHER: The Board and the Superintendent shall prepare a protocol regarding the action that APS school staff shall take in the event that a student’s parent/guardian is unable to retrieve his/her child from school. The Superintendent shall report back to the Board in 90 days with said plan; d. RESOLVED FURTHER: That all schools must ensure that families are contacted every 3 year to update student emergency contact sheets to ensure that they are accurate and to include a no-family member as an additional emergency contact. This will be included in the annual student handbooks. e. RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Board directs the Superintendent to communicate with school leaders that they may partner with community organizations to coordinate Know Your Rights presentations in students’ and families’ native languages. Communication with school leaders shall occur within the next 90 days. 4