The fight over the City’s sanctuary policy currently being waged between the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s office isn’t really the school district’s fight, but the ultimate outcome has very real implications for our staff and students. When City officials started referring undocumented juveniles accused of crimes to immigration authorities, school staff members felt they could no longer consult with local law enforcement in situations where they suspected that an undocumented student was engaging in illegal or unsafe activities at school. Teachers feared that reporting such students might result in families being torn apart or deported en masse.
That’s why a group of teachers, led by Mission High School’s Derrlyn Tom, came to the Board and asked us to make a statement in support of Supervisor David Campos’ legislation that would reinstate the sanctuary policy — at least to the extent that no one would be referred to immigration authorities unless or until he or she had actually committed a crime. That statement of support passed 6-0 last month, but school staff will remain in a quandary until the legality of the Campos legislation is confirmed, clearing the way for it to go into effect (which Sweet Melissa says will not happen until at least December).
Rachel Norton 