Despite the Knox County School Board voting to ask the Tennessee General Assembly to reject efforts to ask schools to enforce immigration law/ask for proof of legal status, the district’s Superintendent indicates he’s ICE-friendly.
Specifically, WATE-TV reports:
With the ongoing push for immigration enforcement, some are wondering whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be allowed come into Knox County Schools.
KCS Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk stated that the schools would have the same protocols with ICE as with any other law enforcement agency, saying, “We will follow the law.” He also specified that there had not been a situation where ICE had asked to enter a KCS classroom.
A KCS spokesperson added weasel words:
“KCS takes the safety and security of our school campuses seriously. We do not give any entity access to students or educational records without legal authorization. In accordance with state and federal law, we do not maintain records on the immigration status of students,” a KCS spokesperson said. “As always, we will follow the law and we will verify any documents necessitating access to school campuses through the Knox County Law Department. Our priority is and always will remain the safety of our students.”
Let’s be 100% clear: Allowing ICE on school campuses threatens the safety of students, teachers, and school communities. Anything short of a refusal to allow ICE to come on to school property is the same thing as saying you are OK with ICE and with the disruption and threat to safety they pose.
Educators who wish to put students first will reject the tactics of ICE, period. Those, like the Knox County Director of Schools, who suggest cooperation with a masked, paramilitary group that demonstrates zero accountability are, in fact, a part of the problem.
Dr. Rysewyk, your policy of appeasement is noted, and students in your care are less safe because of it.
