A proposed rule change in Oklahoma might require parents or legal guardians to provide proof of citizenship to enroll their students in the public school system.
The proposed rule was approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education amid protests. Around 100 Oklahomans gathered outside the administration building before the meeting to protest the rule change.
The board still voted unanimously to approve the rule. The proposed changes will now go to the Oklahoma legislature for potential approval before heading to the governor’s desk to be signed.
RELATED STORIES
The rule requires parents or legal guardians to provide proof of citizenship of their children when enrolling them in public school, including a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, consular report of birth abroad, permanent resident card or other legal document, AP reported.
Students without legal status will not be prevented from enrolling or barred from attending school under the rule. The rule’s main objective is to gather data on Oklahoma’s student body, according to Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
“Our rule around illegal immigration accounting is simply that. It is to account for how many students of illegal immigrants are in our schools,” Walters, the state’s education chief, said.
Walters and five people appointed by the governor to four-year terms were members of the board that discussed the proposal for about 20 minutes before approving it.
The Migration Policy Institute has said that there are an estimated 90,000 Oklahoma residents without legal status, including an estimated 6,000 children enrolled in Oklahoma schools.
A 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Plyler vs. Doe affirmed the right of children living in the country illegally to attend public schools. Teachers and advocates now believe that the proposal rule change in Oklahoma will create fear among immigrant families and children.
“All children have a constitutional right to equal access to education regardless of their citizenship or immigration status,” the National Immigration Law Center said in a statement objecting to the rule change. “Requiring school districts to collect information about immigration status illegally chills access to this opportunity, interfering with their ability to focus on their core mission: to educate children and give all students the ability to grow, thrive, and participate fully in our democracy.”
Trump assumed office this month after making mass deportations of undocumented immigrants a key campaign promise.
On Sunday, a nationwide immigration crackdown led to the arrest of 956 people. Before that, 286 were arrested on Saturday, 593 on Friday and 538 on Thursday.
