In a soft, clear voice, a sixth grade student on Tuesday night told the Salem-Keizer School Board about his father’s 2020 deportation. “My dad was the main provider in the family so when he got deported it took a big hit on us,” he said, giving his name as Sirr. “Not only did it hit us financially, but also our mental health.”  His family was evicted because of the resulting financial pressure, he said. He endured bullying at school when his family couldn’t afford food or hygiene products. He wore his brother’s hand-me-down clothes to school, oversized t-shirts and shorts that were too large. “Teachers and my principal started to assume I was in a gang because of this,” Sirr said. “I was in elementary school and those were the only clothes that I had.” He was one of about 10 current students and recent graduates who spoke to the Salem-Keizer School Board Tuesday night, urging them to pass a resolution affirming that local schools won’t cooperate with immigration enforcement actions on campus.  Many highlighted the ways that deportation and fear of immigration enforcement impact families and students at school. One graduate said educators in the district suggested she and her friends could be deported if they didn’t behave in school. Five school board directors supported the motion, while Director Satya Chandragiri abstained and Krissy Hudson left the meeting early and did not vote. The resolution reaffirms longstanding district policy, which says schools will not collect or maintain records of student, family or employee immigration status.  Schools also do not let immigration agents on campus without a court order, and any legal requests for immigration records are forwarded to the superintendent’s office. The resolution requires the school district within 60 days to communicate to families their rights and protections regarding immigration enforcement action. School board directors who supported it said it was a way to show clear support to immigrant students and communities during a time when many have heightened fear.  “We’re not here to solve federal immigration law, that’s not the conversation we’re having,” said Karina Guzmán Ortiz, the board’s first vice chair. “The conversation we’re having today is one of standing behind the children and the families and the educators of our community.” None specifically named the incoming administration of President Donald Trump, who has promised mass deportations will be among his first actions in office.  In December Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said questions over how the district would respond to immigration enforcement actions drove district leaders to create a resolution and put out a clearer statements of its policies. Chandragiri said he would abstain because the resolution did not add any new policy or requirement for the district, and he felt existing communications about student rights under Oregon’s sanctuary law were sufficient. He thanked district leaders for providing clarity and said all children should be able to attend school without fear. But he also said more needs to be done to address fentanyl traffickers and other “bad actors” who cross the border. “The state’s radical sanctuary laws have tied the hands of law enforcement and other agencies, preventing them from working collaboratively with the federal government to find the right balance,” Chandragiri said in a statement posted on his Facebook page and sent to media following the vote. He raised concerns the resolution would draw “unnecessary national attention” to the school district. Maria Hijonos Pressey, who works for Oregon’s Woodburn-based farmworker union PCUN, said the existing U.S. immigration system leaves no functional pathway to legal status or citizenship for many immigrants who Oregonians and Americans rely on to pick their food. “We have not seen meaningful immigration reform since 1986,” she said. “We have systematically and intentionally decided to exclude the majority of our labor force.” Several speakers Tuesday urged the school board to go further than simply affirming policy. Some suggested actions including creating a rapid response fund to support families facing deportation, and ensuring students and families know their legal rights if contacted by immigration agents.  “The very people being threatened with family separations and removals were only recently lauded as essential to our community,” said Levi Herrera-Lopez, executive director of Mano a Mano. “You have to remain committed and united in your duty to protect all students.” Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Salem-Keizer School Board passes resolution affirming district won’t collect, share immigration records appeared first on Salem Reporter.