House resoundingly rebuffs Walters' plan to collect Oklahoma student immigration info
OKLAHOMA CITY — With bipartisan support, House lawmakers on Wednesday sent a series of altered education rules to the governor that eliminate the requirements for public schools to collect proof of U.S. citizenship and for teachers to pass the U.S. Naturalization Test.
Lawmakers unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 22, which now heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt. The Republican has repeatedly vowed to block efforts by the state Department of Education to require schools to collect the immigration status of children.
With the same measure, lawmakers also rejected a rule requiring all public school teachers to pass a written version of the U.S. Naturalization Test to earn or renew their certifications.
Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, attempted to amend the measure to reinstate the controversial immigration rule, but it failed 75-12.
Under the rule backed by state Superintendent Ryan Walters, districts would have been required to report to the state the number of children unable to verify U.S. citizenship or legal residency. The Republican said it would help schools accurately provide the resources needed to serve those students, but also said he would turn over such information to federal immigration authorities if asked.
Jenkins said the amendment would have collected 'aggregate' data, not any individual student names, and would help to better allocate funding throughout Oklahoma public schools.
Opponents on both sides of the aisle said the rule was unenforceable. The numbers could still be traced to students and could create a strain on the public school system, they said. Schools already provide services to immigrant students without requiring proof of citizenship.
Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, said the immigration rule does not have statutory authority. Kendrix, the measure's author, said the process is about ensuring the rules have statute backing them up, not about policy.
State agencies are supposed to create rules that expand on existing law relating to the policy. The Legislature and the governor then review every agency's rules and can accept or reject them. If approved, the rules have the force of law.
The same measure also passed the Senate unanimously.
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