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() A controversial proposal approved unanimously by Oklahoma’s state Board of Education Tuesday would require parents to provide proof of their child’s U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status when enrolling them in public schools.
It still needs to be voted on by the state legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt before becoming official.
While the proposed rule would not prevent students without legal status from attending school, it would require districts to record the number of students for whom proof of citizenship was not provided and to report those numbers to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters says is about accountability and resource allocation. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, meanwhile, said he believes “state services should only be provided to legal residents of our state and nation.”
Civil rights groups, teachers, parents, and those in Oklahoma’s immigrant communities said this measure is frightening people, and they’re worried about its potential consequences.
Parents and students protested outside the Oklahoma Board of Education building Tuesday night. Some parents even said they’re considering pulling their kids out of school or moving.
“The idea that a child wanting to pursue an education must be profiled before learning is distasteful,” student Thomas Suarez said.
Walters has said he intends to support President Donald Trump’s immigration priorities. During his first week in his second non-consecutive term, Trump’s administration carried out nationwide ICE raids.
Critics say Walters’ policies could create a chilling effect on education for children of undocumented migrants.
A Supreme Court ruling from 1982, Plyler vs. Doe, affirmed the right of children living in the country illegally to attend public schools.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.