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Parents press district on immigrant protections, unlawful 'Dojo' suspensions, commissary planning and laptop losses
Summary
Public commenters urged the Buffalo board to adopt immigrant-protection protocols, stop informal 'Dojo' suspensions, ensure meaningful community representation on a planned food commissary, and address widespread device loss and a proposed $135 fee; district staff pledged follow-up and outlined an insurance option.
Several parents, community advocates and students used the Nov. 20 public-comment period to press the Buffalo Board of Education on multiple issues: immigrant-student protections, special-education compliance, unofficial "Dojo" suspensions, a commissary construction advisory committee, and the district's approach to student devices.
Dr. Tamara Asasa, a retired Buffalo Public Schools educator and associate investigator with the CUNY Initiative on Immigration and Education, urged the district to prepare for an anticipated increase in immigration enforcement and to adopt clear school-level protocols, training and multilingual "Know Your Rights" materials. "We must act to ensure that our students, regardless of immigration status, are receiving the highest quality education, and the school remains a safe place, that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive," Asasa said and offered to help the district develop resources.
Parents and advocates raised special-education concerns, with one CPAC member describing meetings held out of compliance and parents denied OT services until compliance was documented. The same speaker said parents were told some I-Ready data are "unreliable" and asked why the district funds tools parents later are told cannot be used.
Jessica Bauer Walker, a parent-advocate, asked for clarity on the commissary construction advisory committee and said the project has been slowed by a lack of outside expertise; she asked that appropriate stakeholders be included early in planning. Kadesha (Khadija) Hussain urged that cultural and religious diversity be considered in appointments to ensure a genuine community benefit agreement.
On athletics, parent Ed Spadell questioned why the district had a $300,000 purchase order for football equipment and said parents were not consulted on modified-sports planning. Several students asked for more security officers in elementary schools and praised district programs such as Saturday academies and playing at Highmark Stadium.
District staff responded in public session: the superintendent said staff would follow up with Dr. Asasa and reminded the audience that schools adhere to FERPA and will require legal process for any outside agency access. Director Thompson and other IT staff described current device policies, said the $135 figure is a baseline starter fee that varies by damage, and said the district is working on an insurance option (discussed as roughly $25–$35 annually) and on inventory improvements after a 3–4 year pattern of losses. A board member and district staff said the district purchased $7,000,000 in replacement computers this year as part of remediation.
Next steps: Staff committed to follow up with commenters (Dr. Asasa and parents asking about LETRS and Dojo suspensions), to circulate memos and resources, and to continue IT inventory and insurance planning.
