One would assume that the immigration status of students is a fundamental aspect of their school records and would be monitored for various reasons, such as resource allocation. It may not appear to be a contentious matter. However, in Oklahoma public schools, this is a pressing issue that they are currently grappling with.
“We have to know how many illegal immigrants are in our schools so that we know how to allocate resources, so that we know how to solve the issues that arise with that,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Both Walters and the State Board of Education are pushing for administrative rule changes they believe will help mitigate the effects of illegal immigration on Oklahoma schools.
“We will continue to move forward to ensure that we are preventing any kind of illegal immigration movement into our state and into our schools,” said Walters.
But some are questioning whether it’s even legal.
There is a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Plyler v. Doe) that requires all students to be served regardless of their immigration status, though it does not specifically prohibit tracking the information.
However, state lawmakers’ perspectives on the issue vary.
“It’s something to consider,” said State Representative Gabe Woolley (R-Broken Arrow). “Really, where I stand out in my district close to Tulsa, we do see an influx of immigration. There is a court decision that would allow for all students to be served and not be questioned about immigration status is my understanding, but I really do think that this immigration topic is something we need to pay attention to when it comes to public education. Is this something we can afford to do and allow unmonitored in the state of Oklahoma?”
State Representative Jacob Rosencrants (D-Norman) stated he believed the concept itself is illegal.
“That’s federally illegal. You can’t do that, it’s covered. I guess our state is going to be like, ‘hey we’re going to try everything we can.’ It can’t be done. It looks to me like its superintendent still crowing about things.
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The thing is: Illegal immigration has had a foothold for many years in school budgetary concerns. Providing services to all students, regardless of immigration status, takes away from funding for other important things like teacher retention and making sure schools are secured, and determining the cost of the resources required for students who aren’t here legally helps make the case for putting a stop to illegal immigration.
Advocating for asking for immigration status will ensure schools know where and how funds are being spent.
Also, it helps the federal government by helping with funding for low-income children with lunch programs and other budgetary assistance for schools.
