Tacoma schools superintendent calls for ‘safe zones’ for immigrant students

The Tacoma Public Schools superintendent is taking a stand on President Trump’s immigration order.

The superintendent there is calling for all schools to have safe zones for immigrant students.

An open letter to families was posted on the school district's website saying every school principal must provide a safe private location where students can get help and support if immigration law enforcement "interferes with their learning experience."

It may be that Superintendent Carla Santorno is thinking, for instance, if Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents come looking for children of illegal immigrants at a school, she wants school administrators to have a place to shelter them.

In the letter to families, Santorno wrote:

“We will continue providing all students their legal right to access free public K-12 education, regardless of their religion, their place of birth, their language, their citizenship, their immigration status, their parents’ status or any other legally protected characteristics.”

That example is extreme, especially since there's been no specific talk of any such roundup.

But Santorno said she felt the situation required a response equal to the concerns people are having.

Tacoma is the state's third largest school district.

The school board is also expected to consider a resolution in support of students at its meeting Thursday at 6 p.m.

The superintendent’s letter points out that the district does not track or even ask for the immigration status of its students. That would be against current federal privacy laws.

Cox Media Group