Dozens of Aurora students and parents are pressing the Aurora Public Schools board to adopt a resolution for “safe and inclusive” schools.
While the Denver school board adopted a similar resolution in February, their peers in Aurora have yet to act.
The resolution presented by parents and students would direct the school district to ensure officials are not collecting information about the legal status of students or their families, that they keep schools safe for students and families, and that a memo the district sent to school leaders in February gets translated and made available to all families and all staff. The memo outlines the procedures Aurora school leaders should follow if interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a school. The resolution also calls for district officials to write a plan within 90 days for how to react if an immigration enforcement action prevents a parent from picking up a student from school.
A district spokesman said in an email the resolution won’t be on the agenda of the board’s next meeting, on Tuesday, but that it would be “part of the Board’s open dialogue.”
Two board members reached for comment Wednesday — Dan Jorgensen and Monica Colbert — both said they supported the resolution.
“I believe that not only do we have a legal obligation to serve all students, more importantly, we have a moral obligation to make sure that all of our students are in safe and inclusive environments,” Jorgensen said. “This resolution is about doing the right thing, including providing a public statement of support and directing reasonable action on behalf of all children in our schools.”
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