Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vowed to reject a controversial state Board of Education proposal to ask students' families about their immigration status, adding fuel to an already messy fight among Republicans in the state over how to implement President Donald Trump's policies.
The proposal seeks to require parents to report their immigration or citizenship status when enrolling their children in school. Stitt, a Republican, argued that the education system has fallen victim to the current political climate.
The measure was approved by the state Board of Education last month. It now heads to the Republican-led Legislature, but if lawmakers sign off, the governor has said he'll veto it, according to NBC News.
"After months of headlines followed by disappointing (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores this month, it's clear that our education infrastructure has fallen prey to needless political drama," said the governor, who supported Trump's presidential bid, in a statement earlier this month.
The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national exam known as the "Nation's Report Card," showed Oklahoma students scored below average on math and reading assessments.
"If we want to be the best state for business, we need to make sure our kids have a path to success. It's time for some fresh eyes and a renewed focus on our top ten goals," Stitt said.
The board's proposed rule change would require the parent or legal guardian of a child to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status at the time of enrollment, CNN reports.
Each school district shall record the number of students whose parent or guardian cannot provide proof of citizenship or legal immigration status "due to the lack of citizenship or legal immigration status of the student," the rule states. The district then shall submit "only information of the total number of students that lack documentation," without any personally identifiable information, to the state Department of Education, according to the proposed rule.
Stitt's opposition is the latest sign of infighting among the GOP in the state. Ryan Walters, the state school superintendent, who is a staunch Trump supporter, has been outspoken about working with the federal government to further the administration's agenda.
"To be clear, I will always stand with President Trump and enforce his executive orders, especially when it comes to illegal immigration and the cost to our schools," he said Thursday at the beginning of a contentious board meeting.
Later, Walters blasted his critics in an interview.
"The position that they are taking is we can't ask questions on how much taxpayers are spending on folks that are in the country illegally," he said. "That's absurd. This is about transparency. It's about being a watchdog for taxpayer dollars, and it's about ensuring that our schools have the resources and personnel to make sure every kid gets a great education."
Conversely, Stitt, who ousted three board members weeks ago and replaced him with his own allies, insisted Trump's immigration policies do not apply to schoolchildren.
"I've never heard President Trump say, 'I'm going to pick on kids, and I'm going to go into a school'," the governor said in an interview. "I've heard him talk about criminal elements and getting them out of our country."
A landmark 1982 Supreme Court decision held that children are entitled to a free public education regardless of their immigration status. But decades later, with a much more conservative high court, the proposed bills appear to be testing that legal precedent.
For instance, in Texas, a Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow public schools to charge the families of undocumented children tuition to attend— unless the federal government stepped in to cover the costs. Similar restrictionary policies have appeared in Indiana, Tennessee and New Jersey.
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