PEORIA, Ill. – In the wake of changes to U.S. immigration policy, Peoria Public Schools is reassuring families its buildings are a safe place to learn.
In a letter posted on the district’s website on Thursday, Superintendent Doctor Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat says confidential student information will be protected, and the learning environment will not be disrupted by immigration enforcement to the “greatest extent permitted by law.”
The letter comes in the wake of several policy changes from President Trump regarding immigration. One of those which rescinds a Biden era policy of limiting immigration arrests at schools, churches, and other sensitive places.
PPS adopted a Safe Haven Policy in 2017, which Kherat says is still in effect, and is based on a “strong belief and knowledge” that some district students are at risk of having their education disrupted due to immigration status.
The resolution says the district has a legal duty under Illinois state law to educate all students, regardless of immigration status, and that it shall not deny any child access to a free public education based on their immigration status.
25 News reports the reassurances are not stopping students from staying home. The district says of its 1,452 English as a second language students, 253 were absent from school on Wednesday, or around 17%. On Thursday, just under 200 students stayed home, while 140 were absent on Friday.
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