The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District’s Board of Education is formally responding to local concerns about federal immigration enforcement actions.
The board adopted a resolution Tuesday that reaffirms the district’s legal responsibility to provide education to students in its boundaries, regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents.
The resolution also refers to federal law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), that requires schools to safeguard all students’ private information. A district regulation cited in the measure, AR 1410, also says the district does not have to allow access to people, including government officials, who may disrupt school operations.
School board member Bobby Burgess read the entire resolution into the record at Tuesday’s meeting. Here’s the final “Whereas” clause in the document.
“And whereas, we believe that it is in the best interests of the students, staff, families, and the community we serve that the district stands firm in assuring all students and families that we will do everything in our lawful power to prevent disruptions to the educational environment that may be created by Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Burgess read.
In addition to its affirmations, the resolution’s text identifies changes and actions under the second Trump administration that motivate the board's resolution. Those include the rescission of a Biden-era policy that protected areas like churches, schools and hospitals from immigration enforcement.
When announcing that change in January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
“The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the statement read.
More than a dozen people gave public comment at Tuesday’s meeting in Fairbanks, with all of them in favor of the resolution except one.
“This resolution is not about the district refusing to follow federal immigration policy. It’s not about refusing to cooperate with federal initiatives," said Adia Cotter, of Fairbanks. "It’s about ensuring that students are able to attend school free from fear or anxiety."
The board debated the measure for more than two hours to pin down their preferred wording, and despite some disagreement about the final product, the board approved the resolution in a unanimous vote.
The measure is largely symbolic, in that it does not amend existing policies, nor does it create any new ones. Instead, the resolution points to the state and federal laws that guide the district’s current practices and policies, and it reiterates that the district will lean on those if necessary.
But the board agreed the measure, which is titled, “Safe Spaces, Strong Futures: Standing with our Immigrant School Community,” still serves a purpose, with member Tim Doran saying it sends an important message.
“We’re mindful of all students, but sometimes it’s important to really make a statement about groups of people within our community, within our school district, who need that affirmation now,” he said.
Other school boards across the nation have passed similar resolutions in recent years. The Fairbanks measure shares some language with those, including a resolution adopted in Salt Lake City in 2017, which the school board there reaffirmed in both 2019 and December of last year.