Thread: Civil rights group says district shouldn't ask for Social Se

Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
Civil rights group charges Rocky Point schools with discrimination
Says district shouldn't ask for Social Security info
BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON |STAFF WRITER



The Rocky Point School District student registration policy currently includes requiring a Social Security number, a policy that has come under fire because it could deter illegal immigrants from sending their children to school.

The Rocky Point School District is discriminating against immigrants when it asks that new students provide Social Security numbers upon registration, according to a recent report from the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit organization based in Manhattan, found 20 percent of New York State schools require documentation for student enrollment that would reveal a parent or child's immigration status.

Superintendent Michael Ring said the district's Social Security number requirement for student enrollment is a Board of Education policy.

'A Social Security card is irrelevant to the enrollment process.'


"The district does not use this policy to discriminate against any potential enrollees," Dr. Ring said in a statement. "Like all districts, we have been provided with no guidance from the state education department on the matter."

Udi Ofer, advocacy director for the NYCLU, said there are only two eligibility requirements for student enrollment: age and residency.

Anyone between the ages of 5 and 21 qualifies for free education, he said, and schools may ask for proof of residency to determine if a student lives within a district.

"A Social Security card is irrelevant to the enrollment process," Mr. Ofer said.

If a school district mandates Social Security cards in order for parents to register their children then that is "clearly unconstitutional," he said.

The report, which the NYCLU issued earlier this year, was based on a review of student registration packets from 694 state schools. The group found that at least 139 of them ask for proof of a parent or child's immigration status before a student can register for school.

"Though some of these school districts undoubtedly seek to exclude immigrant children, many of the offending districts are surely unaware that their registration requirements are discriminatory," said NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman in a press release.

She said since the NYCLU brought this matter to the attention of the state education department nearly a year ago, it has "turned a blind eye to the situation and refused to provide schools the guidance they need on the law and on the U.S. Constitution."

Jane Briggs, a spokeswoman for the NYS Department of Education, said in a statement that as schools gather student information some questions might inadvertently prompt immigrants to resist enrolling their children.

"To prevent this from happening, the department will issue new guidance to all school districts clarifying their legal obligations regarding the registration of students, particularly with regard to immigration status," Ms. Briggs said.

Dr. Ring said the school district's attorney is reviewing the issue to determine if "corrective action is advisable."

jennifer@northshoresun.com


http://www.northshoresun.com/news-artic ... ation.html

This is crazy. I'm sure the SSN is used as the child's student ID that will follow them through High School graduation. They are using the SSN an as identifier just like the military does. How are they going to differentiate between two students of the same sex, name and age?

Just another example of rules being changed to cater to people who shouldn't even be here in the first place.

Udi Ofer, advocacy director for the NYCLU, said there are only two eligibility requirements for student enrollment: age and residency.

Anyone between the ages of 5 and 21 qualifies for free education, he said, and schools may ask for proof of residency to determine if a student lives within a district.

"A Social Security card is irrelevant to the enrollment process," Mr. Ofer said.

If a school district mandates Social Security cards in order for parents to register their children then that is "clearly unconstitutional," he said.

Although Plyler vs Doe exists as a Supreme Court decision it is not in the Constitution

Texas schools always ask for Social Security numbers. The immigrants are not required to have one. Only the citizens are.

I think it is time for citizens to say NO. If illegal immigrants do not have to provide the information to schools, neither do my kids !
This is definately used as a tracking system. Guess who the U.S. is tracking? (NOT the ILLEGALS)

That is absurd! I remember when I registered my kid in school we had to provide absolute solid proof we lived in the district. We had to provide immunization records, a social security card, and a birth certificate. I remember I had trouble because my stepson (with the same last name as my child) lived elsewhere in town and was going to high school there. They were indignant as to how two members of the family didn't live together. They initially refused to enroll my child! Even the food pantries here require a social security card. If you "forget" your charge card, you had better have your social security card ready to identify yourself! It's preferred over a driving license, so what are these people screaming about? Maybe next time I'm going to refuse to produce my card and then yell RACISM if they insist!!

Be careful when giving out your childs social security number. In my school they always had bilingual employees. There were a couple of employees that I didn't trust at all. It was pretty easy to get into the files where the kids info was kept.

I didn't give out my childs or our social security numbers to the schools after working there and seeing how easy it would be for someone to steal your info. One time our schools insisted on everyone giving them their social for the lunch program if we qualified or not. We refused and had to tell them NO more than once. They had no reason at all to get it as my kids weren't on the program.

This is another instance of illegals wanting special treatment here. I had to have SS#'s for all my kids when enrolling them in school....I didn't cry about it !!!