Riverhead school officials address immigration enforcement concerns

In response to serious concerns over new White House executive orders, the Riverhead Central School District administration and Board of Education outlined preventative steps they plan to take to protect students from the potential threat of immigration enforcement actions.

In a Thursday letter to the school community, superintendent Cheryl Pedisich and school board president James Scudder emphasized the district’s commitment to remaining “a safe and secure haven for all our students, regardless of their immigration status.”

Not even a week into his presidency, President Donald Trump has already signed ten executive orders impacting the country’s immigration policies, including ending the 2011 protections to restrict federal immigration agencies — such as ICE — to make arrests in schools, churches and hospitals. President Trump also signed an executive order that would redefine birthright citizenship, which could impact the children of noncitizens. As of Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked this order, according to multiple news reports.

The Riverhead school district stressed in its letter that New York State law and federal protections guarantee that all children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to free public education. The state has also reiterated that “immigration enforcement actions cannot occur on school grounds with legal documentation,” and Riverhead school officials said they plan to follow the guidance of legal council to affirm the validity of any “supposed legal documentation” before complying with any action from a federal immigration agency.

Additionally, the school district plans to provide educational resources to help families understand their rights and tap its legal counsel to better understand how to properly respond to any challenges the immigrant student population may face, which could potentially be “ICE officers appearing at [the] schools’ doorsteps,” Thursday’s letter stated.

The school board is considering revisions to its policies, as well, to further strengthen privacy protections of student information.

“The Riverhead School District will always stand in defiance of any initiative, regardless of its source, that threatens the safety and well-being of any of our students,” the letter read. “We will continue to advocate for our students and defend their absolute right to an education free from harassment, intimidation, or fear-mongering — it is our sacred vow to ensure that every child in our care feels safe, supported, and respected.”

Read the full letter from the Riverhead Central School District below.

This is a developing story and will be updated.