California lawmakers want to protect students and their families from deportation amid threats from the incoming federal administration.
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is sponsoring a bill from state Sen. Lena Gonzalez to protect immigrant families from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. If approved, Senate Bill 48 will establish a one-mile radius safe zone around schools, and prohibit school districts, county offices of education and charter schools from granting ICE officers or other federal authorities access to campuses without a judicial warrant. In addition, the bill wants to protect school data from being used for deportation efforts.
"SB 48 seeks to push back against threats of deportation that create fear in immigrant families. These practices suppress school attendance and rob schools of needed revenue," Thurmond said in a statement.
Franklin-McKinley School District Superintendent Juan Cruz said SB 48 would create a sense of safety for parents dropping off and picking up their children at school.
"If you're in that situation, there's always fear anytime they walk out of their house in regards to the possibility of enforcement being able to detain them," Cruz told San Jose Spotlight. "There may be parents that because of that fear won't allow students to come to school unless we assure them they'll be safe with us."
Since state funding is based on daily attendance, cash-strapped districts could be further affected if a large number of students stay home out of fear of being deported. But more importantly, Cruz said, a child's education would be diminished.
"The whole point of public education is to give students the education they need to be successful and productive members of our community," he said. "If they don't come to school, then obviously it's going to have a larger impact on their lives and the community at large."
The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees passed a policy four years ago condemning discrimination and racism and ensuring an inclusive school environment for students regardless of race, sexual orientation and immigration status, spokesperson Sergio Diaz Luna said.
Cruz said his district plans to partner with organizations such as Amigos de Guadalupe, SIREN, PACT and Catholic Charities, which support immigrant communities, to ensure resources, laws and legal services are in place and accessible.
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Cruz said students and parents shared their fears with staff following President-elect Donald Trump saying he's planning mass deportations of undocumented residents.
"It's a concern for the families, and for us, that are here to support children. Until he takes office, and we see that is indeed what is going to happen, we have to continue to reassure families that we're a safe place for their children," he said. "We're just waiting to see what happens at this point."
Editor's note: This story originally appeared on San Jose Spotlight.
