Twenty-nine statewide and local organizations released a joint statement on Thursday that praised Gov. Kevin Stitt and state Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton for recent comments the groups believe affirmed the importance of all students feeling safe in Oklahoma classrooms — and asked House Speaker Kyle Hilbert to join them.
The coalition of groups was led by the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, a public interest law center. It included, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, Defense of Democracy Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Education Association, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, the Oklahoma Rural School Coalition and multiple faith-based groups — Christian, Jewish and Muslim.
Last week, Stitt said an administrative rule proposed by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters — which would allow the Oklahoma State Department of Education not just to ask for the immigration status of students, but of their parents, as well — amounted to Walters, his fellow Republican, using children as “political pawns.”
Walters has said he would support immigration raids on Oklahoma schools and has sidestepped questions about the emotional and mental trauma such raids might have on children.
Stitt, who eventually would have to approve of the rule for it to take effect, said he’s “going to do what I can to change that” when the proposal comes across his desk.
“Collecting 6-, 7-, 8-year-old kids’ addresses and immigration status in the state of Oklahoma, that’s not a public safety issue,” Stitt said. “Let’s go after the bad guys, the people that are committing crimes, and let’s not terrorize and make our kids not show up at school. That’s what I am talking about. It was an unforced error (by Walters) and it’s doing something that we shouldn’t be doing in Oklahoma.”
A day later, Paxton, R-Tuttle, echoed Stitt: “There’s a lot of support for immigration reform, for making sure our borders are secure, but I think we need to keep that in the adult category, on the adult side. You know, I don’t think our schools are a place that we need to be focusing this. I think the governor, that’s kind of what he said and I think a lot of people agree with that.”
Letter also asks House Speaker Kyle Hilbert to oppose Ryan Walters’ immigration rule
The groups that signed the letter asked Hilbert, R-Bristow, to also speak out against the rule proposed by Walters, which has been approved by the State Board of Education. Before the rule becomes law, it first is to be considered by both houses of the Legislature. But last year, the Legislature chose not to vote on the proposed rules, allowing the governor the ultimate decision on whether to accept or reject the proposal.
Asked Thursday about the letter, Hilbert said, “We’ll continue to monitor as those administrative rules come through the system. I don’t want to comment on individual rules until they start going through our process. We have a process set up. … I think the (Administrative Rules Committee), they’ll take that and look at it when it comes.”
Hilbert also was questioned about whether the state Education Department should collect immigration information from families.
“They collect a lot of information, but in terms of what information they should and shouldn’t collect, again, that’s going to go through our administrative rules process and they’ll determine from that level whether that’s something that we want to look at or not,” he said.
The joint statement noted the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Plyler v. Doe, that guarantees the right of all children residing in the United States to equal access to an education.
“It is encouraging that Governor Stitt and other elected leaders are affirming that schools be open to all our children, regardless of national origin or immigration status,” said David Blatt, Oklahoma Appleseed’s director of research and strategic impact. “However one feels about the larger debate on immigration, we should not allow schools to become battlegrounds of exclusion. Children who are growing up in our communities deserve and are entitled to an education.”
The groups that signed the letter included:
- Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
- 9B Corp
- ACLU of Oklahoma
- The American Dream Center Institute
- CAIR Oklahoma
- Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
- Defense of Democracy Oklahoma
- Fellowship Congregational UCC
- Fellowship Lutheran Church
- Forest Park Christian Church
- Growing Together Inc
- Latitude Legal Alliance
- Mayflower Congregational UCC
- My Brother’s Keeper Tulsa
- Norman Coalition for Refugee Support
- Oklahoma Education Association
- Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
- Oklahoma Policy Institute
- Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition
- OKPLAC
- The Old Catholic Diocese of Mid-America and All Saints Catholic Church, Tulsa
- Restoration Community Church
- Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma
- Southminster Presbyterian Church
- St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Tulsa
- The Synagogue | Congregation B’nai Emunah
- Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry
- The UMA Center, Inc.
- YWCA Tulsa