How Oakland Natives Give Back is Committed to Supporting Undocumented Families
The current political climate has created an unprecedented level of fear within Oakland’s immigrant community. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that schools cannot deny students access to elementary and secondary public education based on their immigration status. Unfortunately, reports of potential raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE) have caused immigrant families to fear sending and/or accompanying their children to schools, participating in off-site after-school activities, and disclosing demographic information to schools and educational partners.
Oakland Natives Gives Back Fund, Inc. (ONGB) appreciates the diversity of the students and families that comprise Oakland Unified School District. ONGB has issued the following statement to clarify the stance of our organization toward undocumented students and families.
We consider ourselves a sanctuary organization, and we are proud to partner with Oakland Unified School District, which has established itself as a sanctuary district.
As an organization that aims to improve the high school graduation rate in Oakland Unified School District, we are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that all students come to school every day. Currently, Latinos in Oakland Unified School District have one of the highest dropout rates of any demographic group. We cannot allow immigration-related concerns to keep members of our Latino student community from attending school and graduating on time.
Our staff will not request or make a record of information regarding the immigration status of any student or family member who participates in our programs. Moreover, ONGB will limit, to the extent possible, any requests for demographic information (including address, ethnic/racial identity, or last name) that could be interpreted as a basis for ascertaining and or reporting the immigration status of any of our constituents. We will seek the aforementioned information only in circumstances in which it is needed for internal data collection aimed at bettering our service provision.
We are committed to serving as a source of information for undocumented families with school-aged children; we will work to ensure that undocumented students have access to resources pertaining to their legal rights and the educational opportunities available to them.
We denounce hate speech directed at immigrant, ethnic minority, and LGBTQ students. We are committed to making the students we serve aware of existing resources for reporting and responding to identity-based hate incidents.
We encourage all Oakland public school students, regardless of citizenship status, to participate in our programs and events. In accordance with the law, Oakland Natives Give Back Fund, Inc. will continue to use private funds to provide financial awards and school-related resources to support all Oakland students, including those who are undocumented.
We will continue striving to support the educational attainment of all students in Oakland.
