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| Some Parents Demand That School District Defy New AZ Law | |
| 2010-05-08 | |
| Community members are calling for the Phoenix Union High School District to implement a policy to keep school-resource officers from complying with Arizona's new immigration law. Their concern is that the sworn police officers assigned to campuses will be arresting students or their family members who are in the country illegally. School officials sought to assure residents that would not occur.
Aguirre said she fears that the law, which makes it a state crime to transport illegal immigrants, could put her daughter and family members at risk. "She has a lot of friends who are undocumented," Aguirre said. "Am I supposed to ask these kids, 'Who has papers? Only kids with papers can get in my car.' You get criminalized if you have an undocumented person in your vehicle." School-resource officers are sworn police officers attached to schools by the local police department. Their salaries are funded from the School Safety Program, a state program paid for through federal grants. Statewide, 193 schools in 63 districts receive funding for a total of 183 officers, said Rani Collins, school-safety program administrator at the state Department of Education. Phoenix Police Department legal advisers are reviewing the most recent language added to the immigration bill and are awaiting guidance this month from a board on state peace-officer standards regarding how to provide immigration training for their officers. Phoenix Union Superintendent Kent Scribner, who sent a letter home to parents the day Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law, said the district will continue to honor U.S. Supreme Court ruling Plyler vs. Doe, which, among other things, prohibited public schools from enforcing immigration law, requiring proof of citizenship from students or parents, or providing information on a student's or family's status to any outside agency, including the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is now part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of our students or staff," Scribner wrote. Gabriel Trujillo, principal at Trevor Browne High in west Phoenix, said his school is hosting parent forums to answer questions and ease fears. The school estimated that 1,000 students from Browne walked out of school to protest and march to the Capitol on April 22, one day before Brewer signed the bill criminalizing the presence of undocumented immigrants. The bill also requires police to enforce federal immigration law. The district of 25,000 students, 78 percent of whom are Hispanic. | |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #6 "She has a lot of friends who are undocumented," Aguirre said. "Am I supposed to ask these kids, 'Who has papers? Only kids with papers can get in my car.' You get criminalized if you have an undocumented person in your vehicle." Thus proving that this woman is an idiot... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-05-08 20:31 |
| #5 Shipman are you ever capable of not being a sarcastic asshole? Your life must suck. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-05-08 15:08 |
| #4 Why don't we just fucking kill 'em on sight if they run. I believe AZ has a fleeing felon law? Greeting Google Friends!
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| Posted by: Shipman 2010-05-08 15:03 |
| #3 And they are not IMMIGRANTS anyway. They are ILLEGAL ALIENS. Not undocumented aliens, or undocumented immigrants but ILLEGAL (as: IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW) ALIENS. Would like to see some school officals carted off the jail for a few months for failing to enforce Federal and State law. As for Plyler vs. Doe - (and I am not a lawyer nor play one on TV... but from the linked Wikipedia (salt to taste)...) that basically says that the school cannot deny education to illegals. It says nothing about asking about and/or determining their status and/or deporting the kid's family. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-05-08 13:30 |
| #2 "undocumented immigrants" pet peeve: these are ILLEGAL aliens, not "undocumented" you filthy POS reporter. Report the news truthfully, stop spinning. I could hit this reporter in the head with a shovel I would. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-05-08 11:04 |
| #1 "Their concern is that the sworn police officers assigned to campuses will be arresting students or their family members who are in the country illegally" These idiots still have not read the whole of the law -- as it was amended the Friday after it was passed. They can only do the immigration check AFTER the person is already detained for some other reason and even then, they need reasonable suspicion. So no they are'nt going to stop little Pedro in the hallway, but if they have to detain him for breaking the law other than immigration, they have every right to question him about his status if there is reason to suspect it. Secondly, if they do that, per the law, citizens can SUE the police for failign to enforce the law. Its written into the law - $1500 a pop for failing to enforce it. Third, if you are breaking the law by being here - GET THE F--- OUT if you don't want to be arrested. Get your kids out of the schools my taxes pay for (leaves more money for the kids who are legally here!), and get your ass out of this country, criminal. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-05-08 11:02 |