February 14, 2017
Por favor, vaya aquí para ver la carta del Superintendente en español.
Letter to the Community from Superintendent Nellie Meyer: Resources for MDUSD Community
Dear MDUSD Community,
As a school district, we celebrate the diversity of our students, families and staff. This includes different races, faiths, national origins, immigration status, political viewpoints, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identity.
MDUSD welcomes all students and families and considers them valued members of our community. We are committed to ensuring they are always welcome and safe in our schools in accordance with the 1982 Plyler v. Doe U.S. Supreme Court decision which states that all students, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free and equitable K–12 education. No one should feel intimidated from enrolling in our district or attending our schools. We believe deeply in ensuring every student is treated with respect.
As an affirmation, on February 13, 2017, the MDUSD school board adopted a resolution stating that we believe in and stand for the values of equity, inclusion, compassion and respect. The resolution also states that we aim to advance the work of racial equity in our schools as it is critical to the success of our community and our nation.
As such, we have the following guidelines in place at our schools:
- Staff will not request information or make a record of information on the immigration status of a student or family member. Furthermore, students and families will not be required to provide a social security number for school forms.
- If the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency asks for access to a school or for access to student information, they will be referred directly to the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent who will refer the matter to the District’s legal counsel.
- The core values of our district continue to guide us through these times: Our students are our priority. We take pride in our diversity. We hold high expectations for ourselves and our students. We treat each other with respect and act with integrity.
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your school principal, counselor or social worker. You can also contact our District Community Liaison at 925- 682-8000, ext. 4035.
RESOURCES
- MDUSD Board of Education Resolution for Safe, Welcoming and Inclusive Schools
http://esb.mdusd.k12.ca.us/attachments/0005faa4-163e-4ff8-8878-9245c293417f.pdf
- National PTA Position Statement – Services for Undocumented Children
http://www.pta.org/about/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4205
- Southern Poverty Law Center – Teaching Tolerance
http://www.tolerance.org/category/classroom-resources/immigration
- American Immigration Council Fact Sheet on Plyler V. Doe https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/plyler-v-doe-public-education-immigrant-students
- Association of California School Administrators Fact Sheet on Undocumented Students and Families http://www.f3law.com/downloads/Undocumented%20Students%20and%20Families%20-%20The%20Facts.pdf
- California State Immigration Laws http://immigration.findlaw.com/immigration-laws-and-resources/california-state-immigration-laws.html
Sincerely,
Dr. Nellie Meyer
Superintendent
Mt. Diablo Unified School District