Trump Policy Could Expel Adult Students from Classes

As Trump (R) ramps up Immigration Enforcement, Targeting Immigrants at Workplaces and Street Corners across California, His Administration is turning its Attention to Adult Students.

In a Memo this month, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) said Adult Students without Legal Status, must be Banned from Federally Funded Career Technical Education Classes, English Language Programs, and High School Equivalency courses. Adult Schools offer these Courses to anyone over 18 years old, including Immigrants, and many School Leaders say, the New Policy could Lead to Enrollment Declines. California’s K-12 Districts may also need to Adapt since they use Federal Funding to Offer Numerous Career Technical Education classes that Teach Skills such as Welding and Farming.

The New Policy Poses Administrative Challenges for these Schools, which don’t require Students to Prove their Legal Status. Many Students, including U.S. Citizens, lack the Proper Verification Documents. “It’s going to perpetuate this atmosphere of fear,” said Randy Tillery, the Director of Economic Development for the Nonprofit WestEd, which helps Collect Data on Behalf of the State.

Last week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said the State is Suing over the New Policy. The U.S. Education Department said it will Enforce the New Law starting Aug. 9th. Adult Schools ask Students to Voluntarily Share their Social Security Numbers, which are Only available for those with a Legal Right to Work in the U.S. Of the more than 500,000 Adult Learners taking Classes in California, about 10% Voluntarily Share their Numbers with their Schools, Tillery said.

Schools across the State say that they are waiting for more Guidance from State and Federal Agencies before Barring Students from any Classes.

The Education Department’s New Policy on Adults without Legal Status could also affect High School Students. Although much of the Federal Funding in question supports Adults taking English Classes and High School Equivalency courses, Career Technical Education is part of a Separate Pot-of-Money, known as Perkins Funds, and includes Hundreds of High Schools across the State. The Education Department Memo says that Funding for those Programs should be Restricted to Students who are Legal Residents or Citizens.

An estimated 150,000 Children between the ages of 3 and 17 live in California but Lack Legal Status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The Vast Majority are Enrolled in School. The U.S. Supreme Court Case Plyer v. Doe requires K-12 School Districts to provide All Students, regardless of their Legal Status, with “a basic public education,” but in the Memo, the U.S. Education Department said that Career Technical Classes are No Longer considered Part of a “Basic” Education. The Memo also says that Children Without Legal Status are Now Prohibited from taking College-Level Courses in High School.

To Implement the Education Department’s New Policy, Public K-12 Schools would Need to tell Certain Students, that they can’t take Specific Classes because of their Legal Status. It would create “an enormous problem for schools,” said Tillery, since Schools don’t ask Students about their Legal Status. Public schools would need to gather Data about Who is a Legal Resident and who isn’t, He said, which could Deter some Students from Attending School at all.

The U.S. Education Department did Not respond to CalMatters’ Questions asking how Schools should Respond or what Enforcement might look like. The Los Angeles Unified School District said it was “awaiting further guidance” from the State’s Education Department, which also Declined to Comment.










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