My youngest sister is returning to school this week to begin her senior year. It feels like yesterday she was beginning kindergarten. There’s a trend where seniors wear a backpack with the cartoon character from their childhood. She was trying to decide between a My Little Pony, Dora the Explorer, or Power Rangers backpack, each with a matching lunch box. My two other sisters are returning to college and organizing their bookbags with their favorite markers, highlighters, and pens.
Register here to attend MIRA Coalition’s Back to School: Know Your Rights for K-12 Schools & Educators
Monday, September 28 3:30-5pm
Whether you are an educator, a parent, or concerned community member, I encourage you to learn more about MIRA’s Know Your Right resources and Bystander resources.
That is what Back to School season is about. The excitement of starting a new school year, and the opportunities that await. While students are planning their first day of school outfits, educators are preparing their classrooms and hoping to provide the best supportive environments they can to their students. With everything happening in our communities, educators have expressed concerns about immigrant students and families. Educators have witnessed the fears of immigration enforcement among families in their school districts. Some immigrant families are fearful to leave their homes to attend work or drive their children to school. Some have chosen to leave Massachusetts entirely.
For educators, it’s important to recognize the strength of immigrant parents, recognize their perseverance, adaptability, and bravery to relocate for safety or for better opportunities. If families are fearful of leaving their homes, connect them with distance learning or alternative transportation options. If there are students that had to miss part of the school year, welcome them back with warmth and enthusiasm.
This Back to School season we are celebrating the passage of the PROTECT Act, the strongest protections against ICE in the nation. The PROTECT Act keeps ICE out of courthouses, schools, child care centers, hospitals and health care facilities, while also providing stronger protections for parents in case they are detained or deported, banning new 287(g) agreements and allowing civil rights claims to be made against government officials, including ICE agents. Governor Maura Healey has also issued guidance for K-12 schools regarding immigration enforcement and law enforcement on school grounds. The guidance details that law enforcement must present a warrant signed by a judge to make an immigration arrest on-campus during school operating hours. On Monday, September 28th, there will be a public webinar to review the guidance in detail and provide additional resources to support immigrant students and their families.
For any students preparing to go back to school, I hope you have a wonderful school year!
-Catherine Ramirez Mejia, MPP, MIRA Coalition’s Access & Resource Specialist
Catherine Ramirez Mejia is MIRA’s Access & Resource Specialist