PTA Leaders,
Many PTA leaders have reached out with questions related to support for immigrant students in our schools these past days.
PTA believes that all children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right of access to a quality public education, adequate food and shelter, and basic health care services.
The NYS Education Department and Commissioner Betty Rosa, together with NYS Attorney General Letitia James, and Governor Kathy Hochul issued this January 2025 guidance to schools, which is comprehensive and supportive of our wonderfully diverse learners: https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/oag-go-sed-immigration-students.pdf
Please take the time to read this document above, as it outlines many rights of immigrant students in our NYS schools. If you have questions, please contact Kyle Belokopitsky, Esq., NYS PTA Executive Director at execdirector@nyspta.org at any time.
We are committed to promoting the safety and well-being of all children, regardless of their immigration status, as well as protecting children from harmful separation from their parents or family members.
Please see these position statements related to these matters:
https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/ptas-positions/Individual-Position-Statements/Position-Statement-Services-for-Undocumented-Children and https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/ptas-positions/Individual-Position-Statements/position-statement-separation-of-undocumented-children-and-families
PTA is urging policymakers to work together to address immigration in a fair, appropriate and equitable way, to provide real solutions that benefit our nation’s diverse families. We call on Congress and the Administration to work in a bipartisan manner to enact comprehensive immigration reform, championing national policies and funding that ensure all children can reach their fullest potential.
Together, we will Measure Our Mission for Every Child, and make every child’s potential a reality.
Patty Frazier, NYS PTA President
Kyle Belokopitsky, Esq., NYS PTA Executive Director