Forest Grove schools expand student supports after immigration-enforcement concerns
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. West told the board that the district is adjusting bus routes, deploying staff escorts, arranging food and hygiene deliveries and partnering with a neighboring district to provide online learning slots for students affected by immigration enforcement; board members voiced concern about ICE activity near schools.
Forest Grove, Ore. — At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Forest Grove School District Board of Directors heard the superintendent describe short-term steps the district is taking to support students and families affected by recent immigration enforcement actions.
Superintendent Dr. West told the board the district has modified some bus routes to give students more direct access to stops, assigned staff to escort students at locations where families have expressed fear, and established efforts to collect and deliver food and hygiene items to affected households. "We have families that are fearful of leaving their home, that are no longer going to work, that are finding it difficult to find groceries," Dr. West said, urging donation to community partners and the district family resource center.
The superintendent also said the district is negotiating to buy seats in a partner district’s online program so students who cannot attend in person can continue their education remotely. The district’s high school already uses the Canvas learning-management system and can provide online options for some students, she said.
Director Pete Truax said he and other board members heard at a recent Oregon School Boards Association meeting about statewide concerns tied to immigration enforcement and called out federal activity near schools as disruptive. "The behavior of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ... is disrupting schools," Truax said. Dr. West responded that, "so far, ICE has not entered any of our campuses or our schools" and emphasized district efforts to keep schools safe.
Why it matters: board members framed these measures as urgent to keep students connected to learning and to blunt the secondary effects of enforcement actions, including attendance declines that can affect state funding. The superintendent asked the public to support recovery efforts through donations to the district’s family resource center and local organizations.
The board did not vote on new policies at the meeting related to immigration response; the superintendent said staff will continue to coordinate with community partners and to report back.