Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk told parents and teachers that the district does not, nor has no plans to, collect students’ immigration status after the Oklahoma State Board of Education proposed administrative rules requiring proof of citizenship upon enrollment.
In the statement sent to the OKCPS community on Friday, Polk said it’s important to note that the proposed rules must go through a lengthy process before approval. The district will closely monitor developments, she added.
The school district serves about 33,000 students. Nearly 60% identify as Hispanic.
Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk speaks Aug. 7 during a State of the Schools luncheon in Oklahoma City.
On Monday, the proposed rules were quietly published online by the state’s education agency, led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters.
The proposed section would mandate that students provide proof of citizenship upon enrollment. According to the section’s language, reasons include assessing statewide and local educational needs, like language and cultural barriers, needs for English as a Second Language teachers, and tutors and funding needs.
If the proposal passes, school districts would be required to record the number of students enrolled in the district who weren’t able to provide such documentation “due to the lack of citizenship or immigration status of the student.”
More: Ryan Walters’ proposed rules could require schools to report number of undocumented students
“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,” Walters said Thursday during the board meeting. “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.”
Can Oklahoma legally ask for citizenship status of students?
It is illegal to ask about the citizenship status of a public school student, and undocumented students are guaranteed education by the 1982 Plyler vs. Doe U.S. Supreme Court decision. However, Walters has been vocal in recent months about documenting how much it costs Oklahoma school districts to educate undocumented students.
David Castillo, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told The Oklahoman that he’s afraid the proposed rules might cause panic in the community, and many parents would stop enrolling their kids in the state’s schools.
More: Oklahoma teachers, students grapple with fears of deportation under Trump
“(That) would cause a domino effect that would drop enrollment, which would cut federal and state funding for education throughout Oklahoma,” Castillo said. “It is unconstitutional for school districts to ask for immigration status and would create a possible liability for school districts and school employees.”
David Castillo, president and CEO of the Greater OKC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, poses for a photo June 8, 2023, in his office at 3321 S Western Ave. in Oklahoma City.
It’s a terrible idea that would have a detrimental effect on the state’s economy and schools, Castillo said. It’d adversely affect mixed-status families where the parents might be undocumented, but their kids are citizens, he added.
The law requires the state Board of Education to accept public comment on the new administrative rule proposals. Public hearings are scheduled for Jan. 17, to be held inside the Oliver Hodge Building at the state Capitol complex, which houses the state Education Department.
After the public comment period ends, the state Board of Education would have to approve the rules proposals. The rules would then go to the Legislature for consideration, and eventually to the governor for his approval.
To comment on the rules outside of the public hearings, email kory.kile@sde.ok.gov.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKCPS won’t collect immigration statuses amid Ryan Walters rules