In a statement released by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and State Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia on February 27, the two departments have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting immigrant children in the state school system. They specifically included the following in bold lettering, “Undocumented children, like U.S. citizen children, have the right to attend school full time as long as they meet the age and residency requirements established by state law.”
They advised that schools in every district in New York should refrain from inquiring about a student’s immigration status or requesting information which would indicate such. If they do collect data in accordance with state and/or federal laws, they are advised to do so after the student has been enrolled.
The statement also addressed a number of questions concerning how principals and superintendents should respond to requests from federal agents. Primarily the advice has been to contact the school’s attorneys, but also reminded them that “law enforcement officers may not remove a student from school property or interrogate a student without the consent of the student’s parent or person in parental relation.”
We at Long Island Wins commend Attorney General Schneiderman and Commissioner Elia for their leadership and their upholding of American values by helping to protect those in the immigrant community.
You can read the full statement below:
