Board designates MPS a safe haven for undocumented students
Additional actions include Early Retirement Window and school changes
Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Public Schools.
MILWAUKEE (April 4, 2017) – The Milwaukee Board of School Directors unanimously approved a resolution designating all MPS schools as safe havens for undocumented students.
This new policy outlines the steps the district will take to assure students and families that any actions that might be taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on school grounds will be opposed by all legal means available.
“This is a very proud moment for this district and for this community,” Superintendent Darienne Driver said.
Actions the district will take include:
- Creating immigration resource centers in every school
- Developing procedures defining the appropriate steps to take if law enforcement comes to a school
- Working with city and county representatives to establish a safe haven perimeter within which families will feel safe bringing their children to school
Full resolution and next steps can be read here.
The Board also approved actions regarding an early retirement window for employees and the futures of Universal Academy for the College Bound and the Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee (BEAM).
The Early Retirement Window (ERW) allows eligible employees to retire within a three-year period (July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020). Employees must be at least 55 years of age, have 20 years of service, and have 90% of available sick leave (1,044 hours for 10-month employees; 1,080 for 12-month employees).
The Board also approved the mutual termination of a non-instrumentality charter school contract with Universal Academy for the College Bound at the Webster Campus effective April 7, 2017 and a contract with Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee (BEAM) effective at the end of the current school year. MPS will assume operation of the Webster Campus on April 10, 2017 and BEAM at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. The Webster Campus is located at 6850 N. 53rd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53223. BEAM is located at 3620 N. 18th Street.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Milwaukee Public Schools
ICE data from one week (1/28 – 2/3) indicates over 200 illegal immigrants were charged and/or convicted but not turned over to federal officials. Over 25 were for domestic violence, over 15 were rape or sexual assaults with more than half of those happening to children. Does MPS not like women and children that they would seek to allow people who do these things in our city? With over 45 of the crimes being assault (some aggravated, some with weapons), does MPS not care to keep our streets violence free? I wonder if the MPS board would think differently if it one of the 40 individuals who were not deported for driving under the influence injured or killed one of their loved ones. Keep in mind, this is over 200 in just one week with over 40% of that number being violent and half of that violence is directed toward women and children. It seems like that runs counter to the stated goal of creating safe places for our families.
https://www.ice.gov/doclib/ddor/ddor2017_01-28to02-03.pdf
Does MPS not like women and children? Are they not concerned with the safety of the neighborhoods in which the students and families live? A recent ICE report that covers just one week of data showed that there were 206 instances in which sanctuary cities declined to detain illegal aliens who had been charged and/or convicted of a wide variety of crimes. Of the crimes over 80 (over 40%) were violent in nature with half of that 40% being specifically targeted against women and children in the form of domestic violence, rape, sexual assaults, and sexual crimes against children. There were over 40 instances of driving while intoxicated. I wonder if the board members would feel differently about the topic if they or their friends and family were one of the victims of assault or were injured or killed due to the drivers under the influence. That is over 200 in one week of data. When you provide sanctuary, you are creating a safe haven for abusers of women and children. As a resident, I would hope that those in charge of our schools would have greater care and concern for the women and children in our community.
Wow that is some xenophobic fearmongering nonsense Joe. Are you just repeating Trump tweets? Luckily most people don’t think like you. If you are living in that much fear, move to Alaska and live in the woods.
Joe,
If my aim were to create dangerous neighborhoods, I would try to increase the number of residents afraid to go to the police to resolve their conflicts.
Vincent – Nonsense? It is data from a government agency. The link to the report is in the first post.
Bruce – sanctuary cities create an environment where law abiding citizens who do go to the police for recourse are ignored and get none. Not punishing criminals encourages them to continue their actions which makes all people less safe all so a few criminals feel safe talking to police when something happens to them….odd priorities if you ask me.