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Salem-Keizer board adopts resolution on immigrant student, staff and family safety, adds 60-day implementation timeline
Summary
After extensive public comment, the Salem-Keizer Public Schools board approved Resolution 2024‑25‑05 reaffirming protections tied to immigration status and directing the district to implement specified communications and partnership actions within 60 days; the vote passed with one abstention.
The Salem‑Keizer Public Schools Board of Directors on Tuesday approved Resolution 2024‑25‑05, a district statement confirming protections for students, staff and families with regard to immigration status and directing the district to implement specified communications and partnership actions within 60 days.
The resolution, which board members amended to add a 60‑day timeline to the "be it further resolved" provisions, passed after more than an hour of public comment from students, parents and community advocates concerned about deportation, discrimination and the need for concrete supports in schools.
Supporters who spoke during the public comment period urged the board to add training, rapid‑response funds and family legal support. "I support resolution 20 24 and urge the board to vote yes on it," said Nicole, a sixth‑grade student, adding that students and staff need training and classroom posters about how to respond if immigration enforcement appears near schools. Levi Herrera Lopez, executive director of Mano Mano Family Center, told the board the measure "reaffirms current Oregon law" and called for the vote to be a start, not an endpoint. Community members and students described ongoing fear after deportations and urged the district to follow the resolution with paid staff training, emergency supports and community know‑your‑rights sessions.
Board discussion referenced existing state protections and district policy while focusing on operational next steps. One board member said the resolution "essentially restates previously approved resolutions" but supported adding a timeline so the district would commit to specific steps. Another director described the vote as a way for the board to "stand behind the children and the families and the educators in our community." Superintendent Castaneda acknowledged the public testimony and answered procedural questions during the discussion.
The board amended the resolution on the floor to read, in effect, that the district "shall, within 60 days," complete the communications and partnership items listed in the resolution's "be it further resolved" clause. After further discussion the board voted to approve the amended resolution. Chair Richardson called for the final vote; the motion carried with one abstention (Dr. Sanjukuri). The board did not record any 'no' votes on the motion as presented.
The resolution restates the district's commitment to follow state law and to take administrative steps to increase outreach and supports; it does not itself create new statutory authority. Board members and public speakers repeatedly asked the district to move from words to concrete resources — for example, a rapid‑response fund, paid mandatory trainings for staff and volunteers, and community legal referral services — and several said they will continue to press the board and administration to add those operational details.
What happens next: the board's amendment requires the district to complete the communication, partnership and training commitments in the resolution within 60 days. The superintendent and district staff will be expected to report back to the board on implementation steps and timelines as those tasks proceed.
Votes at a glance: Resolution 2024‑25‑05 (Student, staff and family safety with regard to immigration status), as amended — Outcome: approved; yes: 6; no: 0; abstain: 1 (Dr. Sanjukuri).
