ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School District has renewed its commitment to immigrant families in the majority-Latino district as President Donald Trump’s administration begins its crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration.
“We’re committed to all of our learners who come from all over the world,” Superintendent Carol Birks said at a Thursday school board meeting, adding recent public conversations about immigration have been “unsettling.”
Trump issued an executive order Monday, declaring a national emergency at the Southern U.S. border. It was one of a series of executive orders aimed at immigration announced in recent days.
Others included the suspension of migrant entries at the Southern border, a pause on refugee operations and the elimination of birthright citizenship. Some of his orders are already facing legal challenges.
Trump’s administration also has directed U.S attorneys to prosecute state and local law enforcement officials if they refuse to carry out his immigration policies, according to the New York Times.
And Trump has reversed guidance restricting immigration agencies from making arrests at schools, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
ASD works with attorneys on compliance
With these changes and the possibility of more new immigration policies from the Trump administration in coming days, Superintendent Birks said Allentown School District is working with its attorneys to ensure compliance.
She also said the district will provide its school staff with “guidance so that everyone understands their rights and is equipped with the tools to handle the presence of non-local law enforcement on district property.”
Birks said her administration intended to introduce a resolution at Thursday’s school board meeting that would formalize protocols to protect the “safety and rights” of students in the “event of changes to immigration-related policies.”
But Trump’s flurry of executive orders this week caused the district to re-evaluate its approach, she said.
“We have been governed by certain laws and policies for decades as a school district and as a nation, and some of those laws and practices are being changed dramatically in real time,” Birks said.
“We have been governed by certain laws and policies for decades as a school district and as a nation, and some of those laws and practices are being changed dramatically in real time."Allentown Superintendent Carol Birks
The superintendent said ASD and its legal team will review each change and determine responses.
The district already has policies on the books to protect students of all backgrounds, Birks said, citing a 2019 Welcoming Schools resolution that pledged to keep students safe regardless of their immigration status.
That resolution reinforced the district’s Policy 200 that states “in compliance with the law the district shall not inquire about the immigration status of a student” when they enroll.
Community partners offer guidance
Last week, the district administration met with representatives from more than 60 Lehigh Valley organizations charged with protecting students and families.
ASD is working with these agencies and its attorneys to “balance the laws” and the “humanistic element of this," Birks said.
“We remain committed to providing you with adequate information and will refer families to services that may be able to assist them during this time.”
ASD leadership will have a follow-up meeting with these local agencies to create “prescriptive language” for building leaders “just in case someone enters the school and is questioning immigration status,” Birks added.
School Board President Andrene Brown-Nowell said schools and community partners will provide more information on how they can support students and families moving forward.
“Please know we are here for you,” she said. “We are here in support of you, and we will continue on the mission which is to educate your children.”
“Please know we are here for you. We are here in support of you, and we will continue on the mission which is to educate your children."Andrene Brown-Nowell, Allentown School Board President
The LGBTQ community
Also at Thursday’s school board meeting, Building 21 High School senior Adrianna Rodriguez said she and friends are concerned about how the Trump administration will impact LGBTQ students.
“Me and my friends are starting to question and worry about how safe we really are going to be and how it's going to affect our school [given] the fact we want to express ourselves freely,” said Adrianna, a student representative to the school board.
The Trump administration issued an executive order proclaiming the U.S. government only recognizes “two sexes, male and female.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, this order “attempts to end legal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people” and gives the “greenlight” for discrimination against all LGBTQ people at work, school and doctor’s offices.
Trump’s administration also rescinded several executive orders from former President Joseph Biden that touched on LGBTQ issues.
In Allentown, Adrianna asked the school board and district administration to “work together to protect all of our students in all of our schools.”
“You have our commitment,” Board President Brown-Nowell said.
