Should Non-Citizen Parents Be Allowed To Vote In LAUSD School Board Elections?
Los Angeles Unified School Board members each represent thousands of constituents who have a direct stake in the success of the district's schools but who cannot currently vote: parents who are not American citizens.
In a few weeks, though, the board may take a first step toward giving all parents — including those living in the U.S. without legal authorization — a right to vote in school board elections.
LAUSD board member Kelly Gonez formally introduced a resolution last week that proposes exploring a possible measure on the 2020 ballot that would open future LAUSD board elections to "all parents, legal guardians, or caregivers of a child residing within the boundaries of Los Angeles Unified."
"Those parents and guardians have an equal stake in the education of their children," Gonez said, "and I believe they should have a say in who represents them on the school board and who votes on their behalf."
WHEN MIGHT THIS HAPPEN?
The board will take up Gonez's resolution in August. If approved after the board's summer break, the resolution directs district staff to present possible ballot language within 60 days along with "strategies for assuring the confidentiality of the right to vote and assuaging fears of retaliation due to immigration status."
Gonez said the timing of her resolution will allow board members to simultaneously consider two proposals to broaden LAUSD's voting base. The board has already moved to explore giving 16- and 17-year-olds a vote in LAUSD elections.
HOW MANY NON-CITIZENS COULD THEORETICALLY REGISTER?
It's hard to say precisely.
LAUSD — like many school districts — doesn't track the citizenship status of the roughly 570,000 children who attend public schools within its boundaries, including charter schools. The same legal cases that require public schools to educate all students no matter their immigration status also limit districts' ability to ask about it, since prying questions might discourage parents from enrolling their children in school.
Statewide estimates show more than 320,000 school-aged children in California are living in the U.S. without legal permission — the equivalent of 5% of the state's K-12 enrollment. But a larger percentage of California's students — about 1 in 8 — have at least one parent who isn't authorized to live in the U.S.
HAS ANYONE ELSE DONE THIS?
If ultimately enacted, LAUSD would join the San Francisco Unified School District in extending CONTINUE READING: Should Non-Citizen Parents Be Allowed To Vote In LAUSD School Board Elections?: LAist
