Following the passage of new laws, on December 1, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued updated guidance for students, families, educators, and school officials to help ensure a safe and secure school environment for all. Approximately 133,000 undocumented children attend California’s public K-12 schools, and many more have parents or relatives who do not have legal status. The updated model policies and recommendations released today are intended to help staff develop practical plans to protect the rights of immigrant students and their families to safely access schools, in accordance with state and federal laws. More resources can be found at oag.ca.gov/immigrant/resources.
“I know many California teachers and administrators are wondering how best to protect their students amid the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate, callous mass deportation campaign,” said Attorney General Bonta. “California cannot interfere with federal immigration enforcement, but we can and have chosen not to assist with the President’s inhumane agenda. We have a number of new laws on the books designed to protect the rights of California’s students to safely attend schools to the fullest extent allowable under the law. In California, our diversity is our strength, and we will continue to stand up for our immigrant communities in the face of relentless attacks from the federal government.”