The New York Civil Liberties Union says 139 school districts in New York, including the Somers Central School District, “may be” unlawfully barring or discouraging enrollment of children who are illegal aliens. The NYCLU released its findings on July 23 and also sent a letter to New York’s Commissioner of Education asking him to take action. No Putnam County districts were named. In Westchester County, in addition to Somers, the NYCLU named public school districts serving Eastchester, Tarrytown, Rye, Rye Neck, Pelham, Mamaroneck, Hastings-on-the- Hudson, Harrison, Elmsford, Dobbs Ferry, Croton, Harmon, Bronxville, and Perry.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 in the case called Plyler v. Doe that undocumented children have the same education rights as U.S. citizens. As reported in NCNLocal.com, the Somers enrollment application asks whether the students are citizens and for visas and passports, which is against the Supreme Court ruling, according to the NYCLU. Somers Central School District stated that no children had been denied enrollment.
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Here is the North County News story written by Mary Dempsey and first posted on July 23, 2010.
NEW YORK - The Somers, Croton-Harmon, and Wappingers Central School Districts are three of the 139 New York state districts named in a report by the New York Civil Liberties Union released Friday, claiming the schools may be unlawfully barring or discouraging immigrant children from enrolling.
An analysis, released July 23, claims 20 percent of school districts statewide may be unlawfully barring or discouraging the enrollment of immigrant students by asking for information that would reveal a parent or child's immigration status as a prerequisite for school enrollment.
"The Supreme Court ruled 28 years ago that all children have an equal right to a public school education, regardless of their immigration status," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.
Read the rest of the story here
http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_news/article_c9e5f87c-96a4-11df-4d3-001cc4c03286.html
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