AAMS Resolution

AAMS Resolution

A resolution by Academia Ana Marie Sandoval in response to the fears and confusions of our community in the current social and political climate:

WHEREAS, our vision is to foster a community of lifelong learners guided by a love of learning, interest and appreciation for other cultures and a desire to create a peaceful world;

WHEREAS, we wish to cultivate an atmosphere where it is evident that an equitable and quality education is provided to all our students;

WHEREAS, Ana Marie Sandoval, the namesake of our school, was a steadfast life-long champion of justice and equal education opportunities for all students, and in particular, Latino/a students.

WHEREAS, ensuring our school is a safe zone and is inviting for all students, their families, and members of the community; the need for physical safety and emotional well-being of all children and members of the community is paramount to students’ ability to achieve regardless of immigration status, disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services;

WHEREAS, AAMS does not tolerate any type of discrimination or harassment based on disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/ expression, national origin, ancestry or need for special education services;

WHEREAS, the AAMS recognizes the intersecting social identities of our students, their families, and the members of the community;

WHEREAS, students, families and members of marginalized communities should feel safe within our community and honored for whom they are and having our school as a safe zone benefits the whole of our community;

WHEREAS, immigration enforcement activities around schools create barriers to health and access to education, and a pervasive climate of fear, conflict and stress that affects all students, families, and members of the community, regardless of their background or immigration  status, are all affected and at risk;

WHEREAS, educational personnel and parents are often the primary sources of support, resources, and information to assist and support students and student learning, which includes their emotional health;

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court held in Plyer v. Doe (1982) that no public school district has a basis to deny children access to education based on their immigration status, citing the harm it would inflict on the child and society itself, and the equal protection rights of the Fourteenth Amendment. Thus, AAMS enrolls all students regardless of their immigration status and AAMS does not ask for any student’s or their family’s immigration status;

WHEREAS, we support and rely on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s longstanding policy that states it will not conduct immigration enforcement activity at any sensitive location, which includes schools, without special permission by specific federal law enforcement officials, unless exigent circumstances exist;

WHEREAS, we are committed to proactively creating a socially just and sustainable world;

WHEREAS, we are all descendants of the universe and promoters of unity for the human race and all of life’s forms;

AND WHEREAS, silence is dangerous;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AAMS will take action to protect our students, families, and community members by promoting values of peace, inclusion, tolerance, and equity;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we will stand united as a school community, and we will protect one another;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if AAMS became aware of any individual’s immigration status, including that of a student or student’s family member, we would not voluntarily share this information with federal authorities, and that AAMS will continue to support the treatment of schools as “sensitive locations” where enforcement actions are not taken by ICE

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that AAMS will not voluntarily cooperate with any effort to create a list or registry of individuals based on religion, national origin, race, or sexual orientation;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, educational personnel and parents will be trained on providing guidance for families to know their rights when it comes to interactions with law enforcement and/or ICE officials;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that teachers have the academic freedom to discuss the Resolution during class time provided it is age-appropriate;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, AAMS rejects and will continue to reject any form of discrimination or harassment, bigotry, racism, sexism, misogyny, and statements or actions against any form of religion;

DEFINITIONS:

Resolution: a statement of truth or agreement that everyone signs on to

Tolerance: UNESCO- “Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression, and ways of being human. Tolerance is harmony in difference”

Peace: a world in which justice and love create harmony among all peoples as they recognize the unity they have already attained

“Citizenship or immigration status” means all matters regarding questions of citizenship of the United States or any other country, the authority to reside in or otherwise be present in the United States, the time or manner of a person’s entry into the Unites States, or any other civil immigration matter enforced by the Department of Homeland Security or other federal agency charged with the enforcement of civil immigration law.”