The Anchorage School District has made multiple claims it doesn’t have enough money and that it will have to close campuses and fire teachers without more state funds.
But it has enough money to set up a “resource page” to tell illegal immigrants in Anchorage how it plans to fight President Trump when it comes to illegal immigration.
Anchorage School Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt sent a note to parents on Monday, in which he said the district is reviewing presidential directives and executive orders regarding immigration. He wants parents to know that in Anchorage, “every school is a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for all students and families.”
And another thing: He won’t let immigration officials on campuses.
Presumably Bryantt means that even if an illegal immigrant Venezuelan gang member is hiding in a school building, federal immigration officials would not be allowed on campus.
Bryantt is essentially declaring Anchorage schools to be sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
The school superintendent wrote that education is for every child and that ASD will not share information with anyone outside the student’s parents or legal guardian. In the recent past, the district has even kept gender identity information from the students’ own parents. Now, it’s a step further: Federal law enforcement has no right to Anchorage school campuses.
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act “protects your child’s privacy by prohibiting ASD from sharing student-specific information with anyone other than the student’s parents or legal guardians, except in specific situations such as when required by a judicial warrant or court order,” the district said in its note.
Therefore, the school district will block any immigration official from entering any school district property, he said, unless they “present a judicially signed warrant.”
But that’s not all. Any warrant will then be reviewed by ASD’s lawyers “to ensure it meets the necessary legal standards before any action is taken.”
Bryantt did not give any information about how much it will cost to make Anchorage schools into immigration sanctuaries.
The school district has also created an immigration resource webpage.
