2016-11-17 PPS School Board Special Meeting, Work Session
| District | Portland Public Schools |
|---|---|
| Date | 2016-11-17 |
| Time | missing |
| Venue | missing |
| Meeting Type | special, work |
| Directors Present | missing |
Documents / Media
Notices/Agendas
Materials
VERY FINAL Immigration Resolution 5 (a15f40c6c36a4443).pdf Revised Meeting Materials
11-17-16 Meeting Overview (05527c6fa0bcd088).pdf Meeting Overview
Minutes
11-17-16 Informal Work Session Minutes (82832cbc624e2e86).pdf Work Session Informal Minutes
Transcripts
Event 1: Board of Education - Special Meeting - November 17, 2016
00h 00m 00s
Unwin
all right this special meaning the Board
of Education November 17th is called the
order welcome everyone present and our
television viewers meeting is being
televised and we're going to start with
a resolution rights of undocumented
students and protocols for ice access to
schools and I would like to ask
professor Sparta Brown to introduce this
resolution for us thank you welcome
there's been a lot of hateful negative
and scary rhetoric over the past couple
of weeks and and with that comes a lot
of fear and it's uncertainty in our
community and so we want to remind the
communities that we serve that potent
public is responsible for implementing
the constitutional requirement to
provide all children in education
regardless of immigration status and
that our long-standing equity policy in
this district is our North Star beyond
any legalities we as board members as
citizens of Portland in Oregon are
committed always to providing a safe
environment for all our students doing
so is vital not only to ensuring our
students have a supportive environment
for learning but also to fulfill our
duty to take care of all the children
that parents entrust to us every morning
when they send them to our schools
accordingly we're proposing a resolution
that reinforces our commitment to safe
spaces we are also asking that the
acting superintendent establish a
process that within 90 days to identify
strategies policy and staff in the event
parents are detained by the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement wherever one
stands regarding these issues and no
matter what political party they align
with it is our hope
we will do all I'll do our part to
ensure that no harm is done to anyone
regardless of what's happening at the
local level the most astounding thing
about Oregon as we all know is how much
we value appreciate and practice
kindness it's our hope that as young
people begin to shine the light of their
lives and learn new things that they
will become clearer about who they want
to be and what they want to do with
their lives and we will support them we
can't control what happens at the
national level but in our own lives at
work at school in our communities and
across our institutions we can stand up
against any racism sexism xenophobia any
form of hatred or notion that would get
in the way of practicing what is at the
heart of our democracy that we are all
created equal that we are endowed with
inalienable rights but more simply it's
vital that we'd be good to each other
take care of each other and stand up for
each other and regardless of whatever
anyone says whether it's someone in the
streets at work or in our Oval Office
that we will look out for each other
even if there's no physical wall we
cannot let walls invisible walls be
built between us so instead we must
stand together as brothers and sisters
for the betterment of our community and
our world therefore we propose the
following resolution and we're gonna
take turns reading it I'll start with
recitals resolution five three six three
recital eight the Board of Education for
Portland Public Schools is committed to
the success if every student in each of
our schools the mission of Portland
Public Schools is that by the end of
elementary middle and high school every
student by name will meet or exceed
academic standards and will be fully
prepared to make productive life
decisions we believe that every student
has the potential to achieve and it's
the responsibility of our school
district to give each student the
opportunity and support to meet his or
her highest potential and by the way
there are copies of the resolution
portion in the back that are translated
in Spanish
OMB Board believes that the physical
safety and emotional well-being of all
children in the district and ensuring
that our schools are safe and inviting
for all students and their families is
paramount to students being able to
achieve PBS does not tolerate any form
of discrimination harassment or bullying
this safe and inviting environment would
be disrupted by the presence of ice
00h 05m 00s
officers who come on to Portland Public
Schools property for the purposes of
removing students or their family
members or obtaining information about
students and their families the board
further believes that our students
ability to achieve is negatively
impacted by the removal of their family
members during IC e raids that leave
students without supervising adults to
care for them and that the district
should have in place policies and
procedures to protect and care for such
students until a guardian or other
designated adult is contacted and that
all teachers administrators and staff
should be trained on such procedures be
it resolved any ice officer intending to
enter any proton public schools property
must first notify the superintendent and
the district's general counsel in person
of its intention with adequate notice so
that the superintendent and general
counsel can take steps to provide for
the emotional and physical safety of its
students and staff
the superintendent and our general
counsel or authorized to ask for the ice
agents credentials asked why he or she
is requesting access and the legal
validity of their request ice officers
must provide written authority from the
ice instructing them to enter district
property and for what purpose
Portland Public Schools staff shall not
ask about a student's immigration status
or that of the students family members
and pursuant to Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act the relevant law
shall not disclose without parental
consent the immigration status of any
PPS student or personal information
within the next 90 days the
superintendent shall develop a plan for
training teachers administrators and
other staff on how to respond to ice
personnel who are requesting information
about PPS students and families and or
attempting to enter PBF PPS property the
plan shall also include procedures for
notifying families about ice efforts to
gain information about students and
families and how to support students
whose family members have been displaced
because of ice this plan shall be
communicated to all PPS families in all
supportive languages all right the board
will now consider resolution five three
six three rights of undocumented
students and protocols for immigration
and customs enforcement access to
schools motion thank you okay move by
director dole seconded by director as
far as at Brown choosing there any
public comment we have two ready ready
and Octavio no Marisa is right
welcome thank you for coming so you can
sate your name for the record and then
start to speak and when the light is red
and it's time to wrap it up okay my name
is rocky Reddy
I'm a new parent in Portland Public
Schools my first ever Portland Public
Schools meeting I'm glad I'm here not to
speak on something that I support so
first I wanted to just say thank you so
much for this resolution I think it's
been just a little over a week when
families have been really just jarred by
the recent elections and all of the talk
about what's gonna happen starting in
January so first I just want to say
thank you and I'm here representing a
number of parents who weren't sure this
meeting was happening or not a number of
us got together and they said you could
go and so I'm here
so I speak for a number of parents in
Southeast Portland in our very diverse
school so first I want to say thank you
so much for putting children and
families first before politics and
ensuring that our prime focus in our
educational system is to care for the
child care for the families and to make
sure that they have a safe space not
just for education but for building
community and I also want to applaud
that your efforts are similar efforts
that are being taken in San Francisco
Los Angeles Unified School District
which is the largest school district in
the country are also updating and moving
toward these same policies so I want to
say thank you and for joining with other
cities around the country I also want to
acknowledge that what your resolution
speaks to is also ensuring our teachers
who are totally strapped because of
funding cuts because we weren't able to
pass a funding measure really get to
focus their attention on teaching and
making sure the child is able to learn
and to deal with all the stresses that
come with this current situation so I
want to thank you for not burdening
teachers with law enforcement or
00h 10m 00s
government
duties that really is not in their job
description I also want to encourage you
in your 90-day plan to really think
about how more comprehensive you can be
in your strategies of training teachers
and schools to not only focus of course
on the amid immediate challenges of ice
raids and law enforcement but also how
to build inclusive schools that support
Muslim families and children transgender
children LGBT youth kids of color and
other families that will be targeted in
the kind of hateful rhetoric we've
already seen so we would love to see our
teachers have the resources and support
to build those communities even with the
environment being the way it is and the
way it will be and then the one minor
point I want to make is in your
resolution you talked about AI NS we
don't have AI NS okay so I just want to
make sure it's you see is right and to
make sure that we not only talk about
not only talk about ice but I think it's
the UC PB also which is another form of
enforcement agency so thank you thank
you thank you
my name is Octavian O'Meara seus I'm the
policy of civic engagement manager
Latino Network I live pray play in
Portland and I am a proud member of a
community that the beautiful community
the Latino community thank you for
introducing this resolution and for your
strong statement of support that PPS
sent to all parents and our communities
and students we are a Latino led
education organization grounded in
cultural specific practices and services
that lift up the youth and families to
reach the full potential we believe that
every student has their potential to
motivate inspire and transform their
lives and their communities and to
participate meaningfully in the
decisions that affect their lives and
the lives of their families a safe and
welcoming place for students and their
families a place that can offer the
opportunity for students to thrive and
to become a long
life learner because of an inviting
environment we can see that all of you
are the representation of a person that
can invite and make that place safe for
families and participants a PPS you use
this moment as to send a strong message
that we support our immigrants that we
support Latinos that we support those
communities that historically have been
underserved and historically have been
prosecuted and also in many instances
many of them live in fear we're proud of
the board members and school officials
to stand on the side of hope to convey
the positive message of unity in our
city in times of uncertainty virgin's
the school temples of knowledge will
bear witness in how do we preserve the
core values to expand opportunities and
to create and share knowledge for our
students and families we support this
resolution number five 363 that will
make PPS a safe place where students and
their families will not have to be
emotionally distressed right uncertainty
of living a child without supervising
adults to care for them in case the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
decides to access school properties to
remove students or their family members
having worked previously with Oregon
State University as a youth development
professional for nine years I have
witnessed that peace of mind for parents
and children's can uplift and provides a
safe journey of learning and
contributing a collective collective
well-being of our community is now more
crucial to achieve that unity muchas
gracias thank you very much thank you
okay discussion revoked I would like to
propose an amendment the following on
Miss Reddy's comment under point one I
would like to suggest that we strike the
word officer and replace it with
personnel comma immigration official
comma or immigration enforcement officer
I understand that those have some legal
meaning and get to the issue is ready
00h 15m 00s
raised okay and also just the typo fix
number three instead of i ns two ice
okay so can we make those as one just we
make those one amendment okay so it's
been moved by director Anthony is there
a second second by director knows all
those favor that amendment hi
it's trying to beat you how is this
curious yeah Thank You mr.
parliamentarian now is our is there any
discussion on that agenda on the
resolution I want to thank our staff
this week for really responding and
providing resources to all of our
building staff to to respond to the
calls and the business they were having
from families and the students who came
forward with fear and I think we all
pulled together to really try to equip
our principals and teachers to respond
compassionately and knowledgeably to the
concerns that were coming forward so we
heard a lot of instances of anxiety and
fear and our concerns and particularly
around conferences too when families
were coming in so thanks to all those
who have really supported everybody in
all of our schools I just want to say
thank you to all the families who have
contacted us my email box is overflowing
with emails from families who are so
pleased that we are taking this step
forward and I also want to thank
superintendent McCain because he is the
one who originally brought this to our
attention with his daughter who is
teaching in LA I believe and they had
the jump on us but not much and I want
to say how pleased I am that we have
this opportunity to walk our talk and
show everybody the values that we have
here in Portland in providing our
families with a safe and inviting
environment in our schools and they have
the opportunity to to keep our students
safe so thank you so much absolutely so
we know that the the best that we can do
for our students is to give them an
education and they can change the world
just one comment I have been hearing
from people in the community and also
again to something miss Reddy said San
Francisco Public Schools has declared
itself a sanctuary district and they are
pursuing items and ideas that are
similar to ours frankly I think they
have some more teeth and I've been
gathering information about their policy
today I will be in touch with the
superintendent about that very shortly
and I am hoping that we will be able to
take that step also so I've also reached
out to organizations so we are we will
all coordinate our efforts - as we
continue to develop the policies and
processes I just want to say how proud
of the board I am and this is a an
example of how much these people that
are volunteers up here care about kids
and families I would just like to say
thank you to all the students who are
organizing and supporting each other
right now it's like really really
powerful and really really great work so
continue to do that
on the other side of the coin we have
people and I'm getting emails from time
to time from people who say this is all
political but for me it's it's not
political what it is for me is I'm not a
head of immigration or I'm not on any
immigration board when my responsibility
is I'm elected to make sure that the
children in the school district get a
good edge solid education all of them
and we do not need people coming in and
pawing through kids records coming into
the schools and doing the type of stuff
that the said let him they going to do
00h 20m 00s
that let him do it out of our schools we
don't need does anybody else I just
express my thanks to reiterate the
thanks this staff and also to Julian and
Pam and Amy for helping pull this
together this week really appreciate it
and it does reflect our core values as a
community in general and as a school
community specifically and it is as well
within our our local rights to to do
this and it's the right thing to do so
happy to support it with that I will
call vote all those in favor of option 5
3 6 3 say yes yes yes all opposed the
resolution passes by vote of 7 & 0
student representative Lee yes
boudin yak one of the things that were
taught that we've talked about is
information giving out information
without parent permission and I just
wanted to point out I'm a hundred
percent in favor but at the same time we
give out information all the time and I
think as a board down the line here we
need to begin to look at this we just
had a man who seemed and talked about
PBIS and they want they want personal
information sent out to biddy in their
huge database with that they already
have millions of kids and we have we're
not guarding our children's data and
their personal information is right up
their alley and we need to eventually I
think look at that I just wanted to get
that conversation going again for the
second or third time that really
concerns me Steve because according to
federal law FERPA we're not allowed to
give out student information without the
permission of the parents why we do it
all really surprised what's actually
happening yeah so what is state
longitudinal database is an example we
sent him all sorts of information the
PBIS people you're all notice at their
and development all personal my PB is
guys SEC talked about getting the
information on children and it was own
behavior information when I asked about
it he said it would be encrypted but
that doesn't mean anything everybody
knows that and he was very clear that it
was detached from any student that's
what I'm saying it didn't did not
detach
you can attach it back up when you hack
it ok I need to look at that I think
we'll move we'll move on tonight the
board will consider whether or not to
accept an appeal on step three
complaints we are only voting on whether
or not to accept appeal the appeal so we
will not be discussing the content of
the complaint
if the appeals accepted tonight the
board will then vote on the substance of
the appeal within 30 days and have a
discussion at that board meeting board
members receive the step 1 and step 2
responses as well as the appeal so we
will consider resolution 5 3 6 for a
majority vote yes means that the board
will accept the complaint and vote on
the substance within 30 days a majority
vote no means that the board will not
consider the appeal in which case the
complaintant may choose to appeal to the
Oregon Department of Education board
will now consider resolution 5 3 6 for
step 3 complaint consideration do I have
a motion so moved moved by director
Anthony a second second by director
constan Susan there any public comment
00h 25m 00s
well I
so there's several things I just want to
mention in regards to my complaint so my
daughter was placed at King Elementary
for the Mandarin immersion program I
live eight blocks away from Woodstock
Elementary which is initially what we
applied for for the Mandarin immersion
program my commute everyday consists of
me getting off work at 4 o clock and
then not getting home until around 7 o
clock or a little bit after 7:00 three
hours of commute
from my work in Beaverton to Northeast
Portland all the way back to Southeast
Woodstock area and from my understanding
when I was on the waiting list for
Woodstock I was number one
it was never I never found out that it
was in a certain bucket until around
August and I've been communicating with
various staff members and even in my
email it just that I got from the
enrollment officer says you're number
one for Woodstock and never separated
out that I was in a certain bucket and
so my commute I'm spending less time
with my family I'm spending a lot of
time in the car my husband he has to
work two jobs because due to childcare
we have to pay extra for childcare
having her childcare out there
my mom she lives in the southeast she
could pick her up if she needed to and
Woodstock if we were placed there I had
submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman
back in June I haven't heard from her
since July 1st and it's November now and
she's supposed to be advocating for me
and helping me out and trying to figure
out this process and procedure and she's
not
instead I have to find another parent
advocate within my community that helps
me that actually gets stuff done for me
and tell me what is the proper process
and so I've been bounced around with
many different administrators through
enrollment office through different
directors through different
administrators and I haven't gotten a
resolution in regards to my complaint I
don't know if I should be applying for
hardship which was what I thought I had
applied for it in the beginning but they
submit it as an appeal so I don't know
what's going on why am I being bounced
around so many times and all I'm trying
to do is get my daughter to a school
that's close enough that is with that is
what we apply for that is what the email
I got says that she's number one on the
list I want her to have a chance
and basically it's cutting into our
family time and she can't do any
extracurricular activities because all
the extracurricular activities nothing
is going to be after seven o clock I've
tried I've contact the Girl Scout
nothing is after seven very few are on
the weekend she used to be in swimming
and swimming with me at 5:30 and we
can't make them by 5:30 we're coming all
the way from North Portland to get her
to swimming and there's no way that they
could stay open for us
so I'm please I'm trying to ask you guys
to please find a resolution for us
places at the school that we want so
that she could continue her education
and the Mandarin immersion program even
her tonight while she's sitting here
she's writing Chinese she loves learning
Chinese and I I just want her to have a
chance I want her to be like a normal
little girl have friends over that is
within our neighborhood be able to
attend extracurricular activities within
people within our neighborhood and the
cutoff line for a Woodstock it's only a
few houses from us
the first two houses on my street is
consider Woodstock were three houses
away from the cutoff line so I'm asking
you guys please for my daughter for her
future please place us closer or please
at least place us for priority for the
transfer for first grade I mean I don't
mind suffering through this year to
commute three hours every day but I just
want her to live like a normal little
girl should thank you okay
any more discussion for evokes
Steve yeah I'm going to vote to have a
hearing for a couple reasons the one is
that we bounced this all over for about
five months and I just think that that's
how it's supposed to work you bounced
all over you don't get through let's
have a hearing and and get it taken care
of and there's there's some other
questions that would come up in the
00h 30m 00s
airing to look at I think that we're not
really discussing where we've done some
things where you're not sure and I
certainly wouldn't be sure if I was
Maggie trying to do it you couldn't
figure it out I can't I can't figure it
out so I'm I'm going to vote for a
hearing because I just think it's a fair
way to do it and I a couple of the
hearings that I've gone to the two last
ones I've gone to had a lot of questions
I had a lot of questions that came out
that hadn't come out previously and I
want to make sure that that's not where
we're at now
oh thank you I would agree with that
sentiment the two decisions ms lung has
received so far have reflected a great
deal of ambiguity and confusion in the
process and I think as a board we have a
responsibility to bring some clarity and
make a real decision I guess I would
concur that I think our processes are
certainly you know always subject to how
can we make them more clear and so it's
a work in progress so for that reason -
I concur that I would move this ahead I
think we have had discussion lately that
we are beginning a process of examining
our complaint process and what is the
role of the Ombudsman and what is the
role you know how do we make very clear
to people like yourself who have
concerns what the proper process is and
how to apply policy and I agree that
there's a lot of room for confusion so
this is something that I care a lot
about have been in conversation with the
superintendent about lately I know
superintendent McCain has directed some
staff work in the last six to eight
weeks to start a process to review our
complaint procedures so superintendent
you may want to speak to that for a
moment but with regard to hearing in
this case I can concur with the staff
designation that the proper policies
were applied in this situation and
I think about all the people who
particularly apply for enrollment and
transfer options other than their
neighborhood school who don't get what
they want
and who for whom it would be perhaps a
better fit for their kid or certainly
more convenient for their family and you
know unfortunately we have hundreds of
families like that in this district and
I feel as a board member I need to keep
that in mind when we're making these
type of decisions I think this is a
tough decision I looked through the
whole packet and I think that the staff
did an adequate job of investigating the
situation and coming to recommendation
that said I do think that we have
challenges with our complaint process
that have to be worked out in terms of
better communication so I don't think
we're going to come to a different
decision through further discussion so
I'm gonna support that me don't go ahead
to hear the complaint
I'm going to I agree with the comments
that were made by director constantly on
director Rosen I think that the staff
work that was done on this was good I
think it was great and the question
about our complaint policy is something
completely different than the question
about whether the work that was done by
staff in this particular instance was
followed our regular procedures those
are two completely separate issues and
I'm happy to hear that
superintendent McCain is gonna be doing
some work on the complaint procedure we
can always improve on those kinds of
things but with regard to moving the
child I think particularly also agree
00h 35m 00s
with director Const am about how many
families we have who really want their
students or child to have this immersion
experience and look forward to
increasing those opportunities for our
students but for right now so well you
know I do agree with him with director
Knowles and constant am sorry that the
work that the staff did and
investigating this looked really
comprehensive I just think that the the
complete process itself because of that
confusion that I'm not sure that she was
really clear on what avenues to pursue
to go about the correct way of asking
for the transfers I'm still again for
that reason I would move to vote to move
it forward first of all on on behalf of
the district I want to apologize to you
mrs. Leung I think it that the process
is difficult to decipher we are going to
the to the board to be really clear
about this I I did solicit
recommendations from the staff and
actually have some of my own with regard
to not only making it clearer to them
and having a flowchart
even hiring someone to follow the formal
complaints depending on how it shakes
out I've been basically we're just so
inundated with work I've not had a
chance to arrange a meeting with the
proper parties I know Mike is involved
with this and has you know some other
information but I do have a
comprehensive approach to this for you
all and I actually don't think it will
take major surgery it just takes
clarification and perhaps a brochure at
the other end to direct people to know
where to go so I want to assure the
board that that we have some things in
in the pipeline I've had it now the
recommendations for probably week and a
half and have just been unable to
arrange a meeting with the various
parties board members and and such to
have the conversation to make sure that
I'm going in the direction that the
board can support so yes yes ambiguity
absolutely and again I apologize on
behalf of the district for that beyond
that you have my recommendations so I
won't speak to them okay the ambiguity
of the whole thing in the apology from
her superintendent new I think did a
nice job and it's really moving forward
in the right directions points
specifically to this particular case we
didn't go through the really good
process with this person we went through
a bumbling one back and forth even
though I don't think there were it
doesn't reflect on the staff the staff
was really working their tail off I mean
they wrote some nice things did some
nice stuff but it was all over the place
and there are some things that though
have not been taken into account yet and
our point is do we hold the hearing is
it's not do we make the decision now is
there some ambiguity where we need to
hold the hearing to do it one of the
places where there's a lot of ambiguity
is how many people do we allow into
Woodstock
we say it's fall but if you look at the
numbers there are some questionable
numbers over there at Woodstock and
whether or not it's full or not I mean
they're highly questionable and we
should look at them as a board yes I did
we follow the proper procedure and the
other the other place where we're really
not very clear is we're not very clear
about what is a hardship what is not and
what place that a plays and what role it
plays I hope that super-tender McKean
will take that into account when he is
I'm sure he will what does that play and
but here's a person who went through the
bubbling we owe this person to have
first to sit down and try and pull it
all together and come up with the final
solution it may be though we agree yeah
sure yeah no you don't know you don't
really have a case we've got a lot of
other people but at the same time and
maybe that we say well yeah there were
some things that didn't get looked at I
just told you a couple of didn't get
that and there were really big deals in
this whole transfer so so that's
important the other I kind of worry
about these hearings are supposed to
judge what took place not worrying about
what might have taken place or other
people sure you don't want to open up
the dam but are we really opening up the
dam do we have other people that we've
sent through the same process do we have
people the new people will go through
our new process and so they will be
treated fairly if they want to come
forward we didn't do that in this case
and so I think part of this trust aspect
00h 40m 00s
part of us saying to the community we're
better listeners now and so I think one
of the better listeners would be
centered shirt go ahead and have your
day in court so to speak and go from
there
and we'll see at stake
I'm willing to take the time to look
okay
I'd also read the read at all and
appreciate it
my sentiments are are to vote no on this
and with the understanding that we do it
we do have work to do and I know that
you've been doing that Bob and Mike and
a min or you've been working on as well
so we will we will make it better
and with that all those in favor of
resolution five three six four yes we
can
so we'll do roll call vote on this if
you vote yes two five three six four
you're asking you are saying you're
accepting the appeal and we will have a
hearing of the board within 30 days if
you vote no you're accepting the current
staff recommendation point of
clarification set a hearing of the board
or a board hearing because the board
hearings though we have we don't always
that can we put somebody else in or is
this a board one how does this one is
clarify that it's a hearing by the board
the whole board sits down and Jose are
yeah okay
you would you be someone to call the
roll yes yes no no
no yes no that is pornos yes okay so the
the resolution is defeated with the
student representative Lehmann yes yes
okay very well the board will now
adjourn from this special meeting and we
will reconvene in the Mazama conference
room for a work session
Sources
- PPS Board of Education, Archive 2016-2017, https://www.pps.net/Page/10970 (accessed: 2022-03-24T00:57:51.375732Z)
- PPS Communications, "Board of Education" (YouTube playlist), https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8CC942A46270A16E (accessed: 2023-10-10T04:10:04.879786Z)
