Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter
Students from a high school in Fairfield, CT, reportedly came home with "know your rights" flyers provided by the American Federation of Teachers, the local teachers union.
The flyer, "Protecting Our Students", is actually just one piece of the AFT's "Standing United to Protect the Rights of Immigrant Students and Their Families" toolkit.
The toolkit tells educators and school support staff what they can do to help immigrant and refugee children, including those here illegally, by "pushing for sanctuary policies" and working with the school board, for instance, to "distance" schools from ICE enforcement actions.
One of the ideas includes "sheltering" students if a parent or sibling has been detained by ICE.
Another one-pager tells educators the law established in Plyler v. Doe is clear:
"All students, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a K-12 public education. Denying children residing in the United States a public education based on their immigration status, or the perceived status of their parents or legal guardians, is illegal."
AFT further tells educators that "if they report students to ICE or otherwise discriminate against them on the basis of national origin, they could face liability for violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the constitutional rights of their students."
One of the documents AFT's toolkit references was available on the US Department of Education website until January 19, 2025, but now the page shows a broken link.
The Internet Archive has the original document, which specifically says schools cannot prohibit or discourage children from enrolling just because they or their parents are illegal aliens. The old fact sheet also says schools cannot require documentation to establish residency in a way that would "unlawfully bar a student whose parents" are illegal aliens.
AFT is encouraging members to host “know your rights” trainings for educators, students and families in their district. They also point to resources for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal, temporary protected status (TPS) renewal, and other kinds of immigration benefits, like free legal service.
One resource specifically recommend by AFT, UndocuBlack, is a network of illegal and former illegal aliens with a shared vision for "inclusive immigrant rights and racial justice movements" that advocate for rights for illegal aliens who are black and especially those with "intersecting identities."
Plus, AFT offers support on bargaining provisions that protect immigrant employees and for "help connecting with rapid response networks that deal with ICE raids in your area."
At least the union is transparent about its priorities.
