Protest erupts over Oklahoma school rule

Protest erupts over Oklahoma school rule
Protest erupts over Oklahoma school rule

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Oklahoma's state board of education meeting in response to a controversial new rule requiring parents to provide proof of citizenship or immigration status when enrolling children in public schools. The rule received unanimous approval from the State Board of Education.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters stated that while the rule won't deny education access to any students, it aims to track students whose parents cannot provide documentation. The collected information, excluding personal details, will be shared with the State Department of Education and the Trump administration. Walters claimed Oklahoma spent $474 million educating children of undocumented immigrants under the Biden administration.

The protest was also sparked by Walters' recent comments supporting immigration enforcement raids in Oklahoma schools, though no ICE agents have entered the state's school system thus far. Demonstrators, including immigrants and children of immigrants, expressed concerns about the impact on students' safety and well-being.

Among the protesters was Veronica Gonzalez, a former undocumented student who is now a nurse, who stated, "I don't think any child should have to go to school and worry about whether they're going to be deported." Another protester, Adriana Guzman, born to Guatemalan immigrants in California, emphasized her parents' sacrifices for her education.

The new rule still requires approval from lawmakers and the governor before implementation. Under the proposal, school districts would be required to maintain records of students whose parents cannot provide citizenship documentation, with this data being forwarded to state authorities.

The demonstration highlighted growing tensions surrounding immigration policies in education, with protesters gathering outside the Oliver Hodge Building during the vote to express their opposition to measures they view as potentially threatening to student safety and educational access.