DPS and Mexican Consulate Proclaim Support for All Denver Students and Families

Because of recent local and national actions related to immigration and refugees, Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Mexican Consulate joined together today to unify their efforts of inclusion.

DPS Board of Education Members Lisa Flores and Rachele Espiritu along with Superintendent Tom Boasberg joined Acting Consul General Jeremias Guzman at the Office of the Consulate General of Mexico in Glendale to speak to the district’s partnership with the Mexican Consulate and to discuss “The Safe and Welcoming School District Resolution (English and Spanish)” that was approved by the DPS Board of Education this past Thursday, Feb. 16. The resolution makes clear that “Denver Public Schools, will do everything within [its] legal power to protect students’ confidential information and to ensure that their learning environment is not interrupted by any immigration enforcement actions.”

“We are committed to protecting students’ constitutional rights, including their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and their constitutional right to access a free public K-12 education, regardless of immigration status,” said Board Member Lisa Flores. “DPS is committed to protecting students’ confidential information, in school, as well as during after-school activities and bus rides, from immigration enforcement.”

Acting Consul General Guzman also outlined the Consulate’s 11 steps for protecting immigrants, including services tailored to those in mixed-status families. Both the district and the consulate have proclaimed their support for all Denver students and families.

“It is very important that our students and our families know that our students are safe,” said Superintendent Boasberg. “When our students know and trust that they are safe, they will be more successful as students, and their success as students is fundamental to our own shared success as a community.”

DPS and the Mexican Consulate often partner to ensure families in the community are informed and feel supported. The Consulate has helped fund initiatives such as “Plazas Comunitarias,” a bilingual adult-education program housed inside two DPS campuses, and an educational opportunities information booth inside the Denver Mexican Consulate. The Consulate has donated 25,000 Spanish books to DPS families, which has enabled Spanish-speaking parents to work at home with their student on developing their literacy skills.