Del. School Board Member On Immigrant Students: 'We Are Blocked From Asking Them Any Questions'
By Dom Giordano
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – On Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, Dom Giordano spoke with Dr. Donald Hattier of the Indian River School District School Board in Sussex County, Delaware about the influx of immigrants that need to be incorporated into the district for the upcoming school year.
Hattier said they have already been dealing with newly arrived foreign students and it poses a problem for the district.
"One of our high schools last year took in 50 kids, virtually all of whom were Hispanic, virtually all of whom were Guatemalan or Honduran, many of whom did not speak proper English and had no education. It forced our local high school to completely revamp what they were doing. It forced them to take teachers that were already working with our existing population and reassign them."
Dr. Donald Hattier
He claims the school district is not permitted to ascertain the legal status from the immigrant students.
"According to federal law, we're not allowed to ask them where they come from. According to federal law, we have to work with them. There is a whole series, a two-page thing, that comes from the Justice Department that says what we can and cannot do. We are virtually blocked from actually asking them any of these questions."
Hattier does not feel the federal government is being honest with the district about why these students are here and where they are staying.
"I'm going to make an educated guess that based on the types of facilities that we have, or lack thereof, in our area that these guys are going to be staying, mostly, with 'family members.' But again, where is the proof? We are being asked simply to accept the government's version on this, that this is cool and kosher. I have a healthy distrust of most of what they say at this point because, frankly, they dissemble, lie, prevaricate and otherwise don't tell the truth more often than not."
