![\"The](\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/LCPS-336x235.jpg\")
Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>
The Las Cruces Public Schools administration building.<\/p><\/div>\n
Members of the board on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution<\/a> affirming the board’s “commitment to ensure that our schools are equitable and safe” for all students.<\/p>\n The resolution, which doesn’t mention Trump by name, states\u00a0that “national events may have caused uncertainty and some level of anxiety for many families in our community.”<\/p>\n “…\u00a0we recognize that our mission is more critical than ever because we believe that education can be the bridge to understanding our differences and can bring us together around respect and understanding, rather than fear,” the resolution states. “…\u00a0it is the goal and commitment of the District to cultivate a safe and supportive learning environment for all, to embrace and value our diversity, and to act quickly to prevent and address any and all issues of discrimination and harassment in our schools.”<\/p>\n The board, the resolution states, “will continue to take any and all actions authorized by law and District policies to provide equal opportunities and safe learning environments for all of our students.”\u00a0The resolution mentions the fact that all children in the United States “are entitled to a public education regardless of their immigration status or the status of their parents.”<\/p>\n Immigrants have been of particular concern to many\u00a0because of Trump’s rhetoric. He has pledged\u00a0to rescind<\/a>\u00a0outgoing President Barack Obama\u2019s\u00a0Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals<\/a> (DACA) executive order, though he waffled\u00a0on that pledge\u00a0this week<\/a>. Trump\u00a0has threatened to cut federal funding for cities that shelter immigrants without legal status. He has committed to deporting millions.<\/p>\n There have\u00a0been some incidents of violence, threats and intimidation in schools since Trump’s election, including\u00a0kids in a middle school in Michigan\u00a0chanting \u201cbuild the wall\u201d<\/a>\u00a0— apparently directed at Latino students — at lunch.<\/p>\n The community organizing group New Mexico\u00a0Comunidades en Acci\u00f3n y de F\u00e9 (CAF\u00e9) on Wednesday praised the Las Cruces school board’s action.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, many families in our community feel targeted by President-elect Trump\u2019s policies and rhetoric,” said\u00a0Sara Melton, an organizer for CAF\u00e9. “The Board of Education\u2019s action demonstrates support and commitment to vulnerable children and families in our community.”<\/p>\n The Las Cruces schools join others in New Mexico and elsewhere in affirming a commitment to all students. In Albuquerque, the superintendent wrote\u00a0a letter<\/a>\u00a0urging district staff to be “particularly mindful of students\u2019 feelings right now \u2013 especially in our most vulnerable communities \u2013 as a result of the tensions and deep divisions we continue to experience as a nation.”<\/p>\n The superintendent in Santa Fe has rolled out an action plan that includes a hotline for reporting bullying and harassment<\/a>. And the school board there has gone further than the board in Las Cruces by declaring the schools in Santa Fe\u00a0a “sanctuary school district”<\/a> — meaning the district will instruct staff to not cooperate with federal immigration officials and won’t share student information with immigration officials.<\/p>\n CAF\u00e9 called on other area\u00a0government agencies in Southern New Mexico, including the Las Cruces City Council, Do\u00f1a Ana County Board of Commissioners, and city and county law enforcement, to pass resolutions like the Las Cruces school board’s, and to “use their power to protect and stand with families of color and others targeted by President-Elect Trump.” CAF\u00e9\u00a0made the same request of New Mexico State University\u00a0Chancellor Garrey Carruthers.<\/p>\n In response to a petition asking NMSU to declare itself a sanctuary campus, Carruthers wrote a memo<\/a>\u00a0last week stating\u00a0that\u00a0NMSU has several policies to promote diversity and inclusivity. NMSU doesn\u2019t require proof of citizenship for admission or discriminate on the basis of immigration status. The university doesn\u2019t disclose student information without consent or unless required by law. NMSU offers in-state tuition and state-funded financial aid to \u201cqualifying undocumented students\u201d and discounted tuition\u00a0to students from Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Carruthers rejected requests from a\u00a0group organizing the petition to declare NMSU a sanctuary campus, ban federal immigration officials from NMSU property, and formally\u00a0urge the federal government to provide\u00a0students who have\u00a0DACA a path to permanent legal status. He said banning federal law enforcement agents could threaten NMSU’s funding.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile each member of the NMSU community is free to advocate their individual views, our public institution is a governmental entity that respects the diversity of opinion and will not declare itself a sanctuary or otherwise take a position on this or the many other important and difficult issues facing our country that do not directly involve NMSU operations,\u201d Carruthers\u00a0wrote.<\/p>\n