Md. School Board Rejects Illegal Immigration Tally

[FedUpinFarmersBranch]

Mar 24, 2009 6:10 pm US/Eastern
Md. School Board Rejects Illegal Immigration Tally

BALTIMORE

The Maryland State Board of Education has blocked an effort to make Frederick County public school administrators count the number of illegal immigrant students.

The question was posed in October by the Frederick County Commissioners. Proponents said a tally of undocumented school children could prompt federal lawmakers to increase education funding or take stronger action against illegal immigration.

But the state school board said in a written opinion Tuesday that proponents had not shown a substantial, valid governmental interest in such a tally.

The state board said it agrees with the local school board and the state attorney general's office that collecting information on immigration status would make some immigrant parents afraid to enroll their children in school.

http://wjz.com/local/illegal.immigratio ... 66899.html

[CindyB]

It would be to America's advantage to scare illegal immigrant parents. We don't want to educate illegal children or anchor babies. We want our English and smaller classes back.

Edit to add: It would also be nice to use our taxpayer dollars on educating citizens instead of wasting it on illegals who must have special needs. Our money is being wasted on children who use teachers as baby sitters while their parents steal jobs from American citizens.

[avenger]

Schools would lose state and federal money for an empty seat. Its all in the numbers and it doesn't matter to school boards where these children come from. I've been told in my own state by educators that if my children are sick to bring them to school anyway until first roll is called and then I can get them and take them to the doctor or home. All this is so they can receive their precious money...damned the health of other children or teachers.

[vortex]

But the state school board said in a written opinion Tuesday that proponents had not shown a substantial, valid governmental interest in such a tally.

No substantial, valid governmental interest, huh? Is there not a valid interest to see how taxpayer dollars are being spent? Is there no interest in learning a child's ethnicity?
These people should be tried for ignoring their responsibility to their employers (the taxpayers), should be thrown out of office (impeached, recalled or fired, or whatever), tarred and feathered, and driven out of the country.
And any parent that fears sending their child to school for free is not an "immigrant" but illegal alien.

[miguelina]

But the state school board said in a written opinion Tuesday that proponents had not shown a substantial, valid governmental interest in such a tally.

No substantial, valid governmental interest, huh? Is there not a valid interest to see how taxpayer dollars are being spent? Is there no interest in learning a child's ethnicity?
These people should be tried for ignoring their responsibility to their employers (the taxpayers), should be thrown out of office (impeached, recalled or fired, or whatever), tarred and feathered, and driven out of the country.
And any parent that fears sending their child to school for free is not an "immigrant" but illegal alien.

No interest? How about this - illegal immigration is a violation of federal laws. That should be more than a valid interest.

[vortex]

avenger, I am absolutely horrified! A child breaks a bone, comes down with mono or the flu and they still have to show up for roll call? This is insane, and I would write letters to every newspaper in the state, call the TV stations, as there are eager reporters ready to investigate everything. And tell your story to local talk show hosts on radio. Go for it!

[NoBueno]

It's absolutely beyond insane that we as a nation allow illegal invaders to attend our schools with a no questions asked policy!

It's fundamentally wrong that American citizens should have to bare this economic burden, in addition to be expected to tolerate the declining academic conditions that illegal invaders create whenever they amass in sufficient numbers!

[ChiWatcher]

I think that a lot of people don't view the illegal alien problem as something that affects them. My impression of them is that illegals are out of sight, out of mind. Just a few million that come here and do the work we don't want to and that they pay taxes.

Getting further statistics like this would benefit us. It would make people more aware that they're paying to educate children that should not be here.

I don't know about you folks, but I'm paying around $2,400.00 a year for other people's children's education. If I'm having to pay it, I'd at least like them to be Americans.

[reptile09]

Schools would lose state and federal money for an empty seat. Its all in the numbers and it doesn't matter to school boards where these children come from.

Exactly. Here at the border in Southern Mexifornia, thousands of Mexican Nationals cross the border everyday at Tijuana and Tecate to attend San Diego schools. And of course the local districts don't care because the more butts they have in the seats means more money for them, regardless of where they come from. They absolutely refuse to make these parents provide REAL proof of residency to get their rugrats enrolled. All they have to do is show an electric bill to enroll their kids here.

Most of these mooching parasites get free lunch, special ESL classes, etc. and end up turning gang banger or getting pregnant by the time they enter junior high anyway. But as long as the districts keep that taxpayer cash rolling in they could care less about the quality of education for the children of American citizens.

[FedUpinFarmersBranch]

State school board bars Frederick illegal immigration checks
By MEGAN MILLER
Published 03/25/09

BALTIMORE - Frederick County public school students cannot be forced to disclose their citizenship status to county officials, the Maryland State Board of Education ruled Tuesday.

The board's unanimous decision was a response to an October 2008 petition by the Frederick County Commissioners. The commissioners sought legal permission to include immigration status with other information in student records.
Proponents of the status check argue that the issue is not removing illegal immigrant students from the school system, but determining the amount those students cost taxpayers.

"You can't manage something that you can't quantify. That's the basic problem," said County Attorney John Mathias. "At least in the past there weren't that many students in Frederick County who were here illegally. If that's changing, there needs to be a projection of the cost to the school district."

"Nobody is trying to deny anybody anything," said Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, also a county commissioner. "It's just that the taxpayers, the citizens, have a right to know the cost of educating the illegal community."

Jenkins played a major role in other Frederick County immigration enforcement efforts, including the controversial policy of reporting illegal immigrants who have contact with police to federal authorities.

But school officials fear that requiring illegal students to disclose their status would have negative effects in the immigrant community, possibly driving those students out of schools altogether.

"There is the concern that parents who are here illegally may choose not to send their children to school for fear of retribution," said Marita Loose, a spokeswoman for Frederick County Public Schools. "That is a very real concern for the future of our community."

Officials on both sides agree that the number of immigrant students in Frederick County is rising, as evidenced by increases in English language courses for non-native speakers.

In 2007, 1,200 students participated in such classes, according to the annual Frederick County Public Schools Report. In 2008, that number increased to 1,346.

"Now those students could be here legally, they could be here illegally ... but there certainly is a suspicion that some of those students are illegal," Mathias said.

"We have a growing immigrant population. Our percentage increase as a county is one of the highest in Maryland," Loose said. "We have increased staffing and provided the necessary support to those students to help them in an academic environment. That's what our board wishes to do, and what our educators wish to do. It's what the law tells us to do."

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/r ... hecks.html