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Mercer Island board adopts "Protecting the Right to Learn" resolution to clarify student safety, privacy
Summary
On April 8, 2025, the Mercer Island School District Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 739, “Protecting the Right to Learn,” directing staff to create a district policy aligned with OSPI recommendations and Washington law to protect student safety and privacy.
On April 8, 2025, the Mercer Island School District Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 739, “Protecting the Right to Learn,” a second-reading policy resolution intended to clarify the district’s expectations on student safety, privacy and interactions with immigration enforcement.
The resolution, adopted 5–0, instructs the district to create a formal policy based on recommendations from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and applicable Washington law. Board President Tucker opened the item as a second reading and invited comment and a vote. Board members praised staff for timely revisions; after a motion and second the board approved the resolution without amendment.
Why it matters: the measure establishes an explicit district stance on how schools will handle immigration-related inquiries and student privacy concerns and signals how district administrators are expected to respond if enforcement or data‑request situations arise.
Board review and staff clarifications Christina (Board director) confirmed the draft incorporated minor edits discussed previously and that the final policy will be grounded in OSPI recommendations and Washington law. The board asked whether the district currently collects immigration‑related data; district staff confirmed that the district “does not and has not collected any of that,” and said the district is compliant with required reporting while not gathering extra immigration‑related data points.
Staff also told the board that, pending formal adoption, the district will post resources for families on the district website. Ian Henry (district staff) was cited as coordinating a set of online resources, in partnership with the Puget Sound Educational Service District, that will include information about the resolution and family support resources related to immigration status and navigation of services.
What the board did and did not do The board adopted Resolution 739 as presented (vote tally: 5 yes, 0 no). No amendments were offered during the vote. The adoption was described as a policy‑level direction for district administrators; it does not, by itself, change day‑to‑day operating procedures beyond the directive to formalize guidance consistent with the resolution and state guidance.
Next steps District staff will draft the formal policy language implementing Resolution 739 and publish the family resources referenced during the meeting. The board did not set a separate timeline for publication beyond the normal policy‑development and posting processes noted by staff.
Quotes “Correct. It’s just, including that the district will create a policy based on the letter that an OSPI recommendations and Washington law,” Christina (Board director) said while describing the revisions to the draft resolution.
Provenance This article is based on the board’s discussion of the resolution at the April 8, 2025 special meeting. The item was introduced in the board’s agenda and discussed as a second reading; the board took a vote and recorded a 5–0 approval.
