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Senate approves resolution urging Delaware schools to adopt clear immigration‑enforcement policies
Summary
The Delaware Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 20, which urges school districts to adopt clear protocols on immigration‑enforcement interactions, data privacy and student safety; sponsor and opponents clarified the resolution’s nonbinding nature and training provisions.
The Delaware Senate on March 25 passed House Concurrent Resolution 20, urging school districts to adopt clear policies for responding to immigration‑enforcement inquiries and to safeguard student and family data while emphasizing student safety.
The resolution, sponsored in part by Senator Darius Pinkney, asks the Department of Education to develop model policies that include procedures for referring civil immigration enforcement requests to district superintendents and guidance favoring judicial warrants when enforcement actions touch school grounds. "The resolution is not asking for any kind of retribution to happen to teachers if they were to inadvertently go against the policy," Senator Pinkney said, adding that the Department of Education is prepared to provide training to help school staff implement policies.
Senator Tom Buxton said he worried the measure could be politicized and asked whether any part of the resolution would conflict with federal law or expose school staff to liability. Pinkney and other senators said the resolution was drafted with input from the Department of Justice and intentionally written as a nonbinding resolution—rather than statute—so it would not override federal requirements. "It doesn't provide ... dictates the policy. It asks the department to create one," Pinkney said. Buxton said he had reached out to some district chiefs and had not yet received their review but signaled support after the sponsor explained the draft.
The Senate recorded a roll call and declared House Concurrent Resolution 20 passed; the clerk recorded 21 yes votes. The resolution’s text asks for uniformity across districts while leaving specific policy language to the Department of Education and local school boards.
By law the resolution is advisory rather than regulatory; it calls for model guidance and training, not penalties. The sponsor said some districts already maintain similar protocols and that the resolution aims to encourage statewide consistency.
Senator Pinkney asked for a roll call after concluding remarks; the motion passed on the recorded vote.
The passage will be transmitted to the House as required for concurrent resolutions.
