Placentia school district weighs stance on immigration enforcement – NBC Los Angeles

Droves of community members expressed anger on Tuesday to Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District leaders at a resolution that would have stated the school district supports immigration enforcement.

After hearing public comments from outraged community members, the school district decided against moving ahead with the resolution. However, a motion that states school staff would not interfere with immigration actions on campuses remains on the table.

More than 50 speakers signed up to address the board, with the majority of them against the motion.

“We are responsible for these children, and without the safety net that we have within this school district, these children are not going to feel safe,” said Heaven Casey, a PYLUSD parent.

Some parents took to the podium to speak in support of the measure.

“Parents deserve to know our district will not pick and choose which laws or officers it respects,” said Vance Stubbs, another PYLUSD parent.

The motion was supported by trustee Leandra Blades, who was strongly criticized by parents at the meeting.

“Ms. Blades, if you cannot uphold your duty to protect all students and follow the law, you should resign immediately,” said immigration attorney Bethany Anderson.

Blades said her intention was to show support for local, state and federal law enforcement. She said the motion’s language about staff not interfering with immigration actions was part of another new policy that’s mandated by state law, and includes requirements that district staff check immigration agents for warrants or subpoenas.

“We’re not going to have employees that are going to impede or block or cause an even bigger situation,” she said. “We want law enforcement to be on our campuses to keep our students safe.”

Ultimately, the board voted to issue a statement in support of all law enforcement. The school board also gave first approval to the language about staff not interfering with immigration actions, but that policy won’t be official until it’s voted on again in a meeting next month.