Frequently, around town with my family, I’ll run into students who will stop to say ‘hi’ and chat. My own children usually ask, “Who was that?” And, I always give them the same simple response, “One of my kids from school” and go on to tell them a bit about the student.
That’s exactly how we, the HUSD staff, think of our students – like they are our kids. We invest in them incredibly, adopting them as our own. Their successes are our triumphs, when they stumble we pick them up and when they’re struggling and need advice, we’re there to give it.
With the recent executive actions regarding our country’s immigration laws, I’ve become worried that some students may feel unsafe, uncomfortable or even unwelcome at school. And, I want to reiterate to all of our students, families and community that our schools are a safe place and we are committed to serving all of our students.
As a student teacher in Santa Barbara, I saw firsthand the anxiety that can arise from heated political decisions regarding immigration. In 1994, after the passage of Proposition 187, which sought to bar public services to undocumented immigrants (later stopped by a federal judge), I came to school to find three quarters of my bilingual U.S. History class missing. Many of those students, all recent immigrants to the U.S., did not attend school for weeks out of fear of deportation.
Those who did attend were anxious, distraught and in tears, worried about being at school. We worked hard to reassure them that school was a safe place and slowly convinced families to allow students to continue attending, so their children could learn and realize the dreams that drew their families to the United States in the first place. Today, we find ourselves in a strikingly similar situation.
While I cannot provide guarantees regarding our country’s immigration policies and practices, I can reassure families that their students are safe, welcome and valued in our schools. Our mission is to have all students graduate from high school, prepared for college, career and citizenship with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st Century. We don’t just serve students who were born in the U.S., are a certain race, or possess certain documents. We serve all of the children in the Healdsburg community.
To reinforce this fact, our Board of Trustees will consider a resolution on February 15 at 6 p.m. at Healdsburg City Hall that proclaims the safety of our immigrant students. We want to reiterate that we do not keep records regarding immigration and that no agency will be permitted to enter our campuses to investigate a student’s immigration status.
It is our sincere desire that these practices will provide reassurance to immigrant families who may feel like school isn’t a safe place for their children. We want all to know that, even in uncertain times, we are committed to maintaining a safe environment where all feel welcome, and are thus able to learn and thrive. That is the kind of school that every parent wants for their child. And, in the Healdsburg Unified School District, they are all our kids.
Chris Vanden Heuvel is the Superintendent of the Healdsburg Unified School District
