WHEREAS: Cambridge has been a Sanctuary City since 1985, and we have reaffirmed our commitment to remain so as recently as 2016; and WHEREAS: The Cambridge School Committee wholeheartedly embraces its commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) students, staff, and families; and WHEREAS: CPS policies including but not limited to JB - EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, GBA - EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, IB - ACADEMIC FREEDOM, JICFA-E-1 - NON-TOLERANCE OF HATE CRIMES, JIKD - FREEDOM OF RELIGION express the Committee and district’s commitment to prohibit unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or sex, gender identity, race or ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical disability, age, immigration status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information, political belief or affiliation, military status, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in the educational programs or activities the district operates; and WHEREAS: All CPS staff and students are entitled to their First Amendment right to free speech, but harassment, discrimination, and bias-based harm have no place in CPS school communities and will not be tolerated; and WHEREAS: Students deserve a safe and supportive space to learn, reflect, and develop critical thinking skills. CPS encourages educator engagement with students to discuss difficult, controversial, or emotionally charged topics in a safe and productive manner. In doing so, CPS provides guidance and resources for supporting, managing, and reflecting on student civil discourse, civic learning, and civic engagement. This includes recognizing the factors that have shaped perspectives, including life experience, family, culture, and identity. The purpose is to provide space where young people generate questions, explore their curiosities, strengthen their civic skills, and analyze aspects of our society and government; and WHEREAS: CPS’ students, staff and their families originate from many different countries, and may have received temporary legal status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), may be undocumented, and/or may live in mixed status households; and WHEREAS: CPS reflects the diverse population of the world, which the district celebrates in many ways through students’ daily experiences; and WHEREAS: CPS is committed to ensuring students have access to a high-quality, well-rounded, rigorous, and joyful education. To achieve this, CPS continuously works to ensure that students see themselves reflected in the curriculum by incorporating LGBTQIA+, disabled, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other historical figures into its lessons; now therefore be it RESOLVED THAT: 1. CPS will work alongside its partners and immigration advocates to provide training and support for students, staff and their families on immigrant rights, understanding various legal statuses, and the overall health and wellbeing of those affected. 2. CPS will provide multi-language resources for its students, staff, and their families in partnership with the City on legal assistance, immigrant rights, mental health care, and public safety. 3. CPS will include in any legislative agenda advocacy at the state and federal levels for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protective Status, and Refugee Settlement Programs, as well as oppose any legislation for the creation of a Muslim registry system or eroding civil rights protections upon our communities. 4. CPS schools will always welcome all students, staff and their families regardless of legal status. 5. CPS will not provide assistance to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law. Therefore, ICE will not be permitted access to CPS facilities or personnel except in the rare instances in which CPS is provided with a criminal warrant. 6. CPS will continue to honor changes in names and/or pronouns that students and families have requested, and will welcome individuals to use facilities that match their gender identities. 7. CPS will continue to teach about sexual and reproductive health, consistent with policies including IHAM-1 - PARENT/GUARDIAN/CAREGIVER NOTIFICATION RELATIVE TO SEX EDUCATION 8. The Mayor, Superintendent, and School Committee Members will publicly defend these values as circumstances warrant.
