Waltham educators rally for immigrant families
In response to raids by federal immigration agents in communities across the state, members of the Waltham Educators Association will rally their support for all families and students with visibility stand-outs Friday morning, Dec. 12, at every Waltham public school.
The WEA Student Advocacy Task Force formed in response to reports that students have grown fearful as agents from the federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency target neighborhoods where immigrant families are living and working. Some families have voiced concerns over being confronted at school drop-off and pick-up sites, according to the task force.
The WEA issued the following statement:
“Schools must be safe places for all, and we want to publicly show our support for immigrant families affected by the aggressive tactics we have seen used by ICE agents. We also want to offer a counterbalance to the derogatory anti-immigrant sentiments our students are routinely hearing in discourse across the country. We will do what we can to protect and support students from the cruelty embedded in current approaches to immigration policy.”
Times and locations for the standouts are:
7–7:20 a.m. Waltham High School.
7:15–7:40 a.m. Kennedy School, McDevitt School.
8–8:20 a.m. Fitzgerald, Dual Language, MacArthur, Northeast, Plympton, Stanley, and Whittemore Schools.
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Good on them!
we should be spending more time on raising test scores. and less time on political issues !!
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a stand-out? Is it a gentler phrase for walk-out? Do they stand outside with signs as student are arriving at schools? I’m trying to picture what this actually looks like in practice…
Check back soon — I imagine that there will be a follow-up article now that the standouts (no, not a gentler phrase for walk-out) have happened. (I could not anything in the Times’ archives, from similar events that happened last school year.) There are also photos and videos on social media, though *those* comments sections are often not-so-helpful. 😅