Superintendent Victim of Immigration Law

Whenever someone starts to talk about the impacts of illegal immigration I think of the impact it had on one school superintendent, David Verducci.

It could have been my name that people remember, but I was fortunate. During my initial meeting with the Director of the English as a Second Language program in my new district, she informed me of the 1982 ruling that gave school age children, illegal immigrants or not, the right to attend a public school.

Evidently, Mr. Verducci was not as fortunate.

Bars Illegal Immigrants From School
The story of David Verducci, the Superintendent in Fairview, New Jersey, is the tale of a man who believed as a public official that he should seek to enforce the law. Mr. Verducci soon learned that even though he was the CEO of his school district and charged with balancing the school budget, he was not able to restrict students from attending his schools even if they were known to be illegal immigrants.

The story dates back 2002 when David Verducci learned that three of the students at his school were present due to the fact their parents were in this country illegally. Upon learning of the situation, he barred the children from attending school.

No Support for His Actions
He was immediately vilified in the press for his stance and he soon learned that as a school official he was actually not legally able to enforce the immigration law. In fact, all of the forces of government went to work to help the illegal aliens get back into school. The lawyer for the family, Louis Zayas, informed the court that “the immigrant status of the parents is entirely irrelevant; the law of the land says that children still have the right to a public education as long as they live in Fairview.”

N.J. assistant education commissioner Judith Weiss also asserted that “the superintendent is not supposed to ask about the immigrant status of the family.”

Soon, in fact every layer of government backed the illegal aliens. Again, according to Weiss, “so long as the parents…can document that they reside in the district, they’re entitled to enroll in the schools – period.”

The students were readmitted to much fan fare by the news media.

The INS View
As for the status of those in the country illegally, according to the Eastern Regional Office spokeswoman Amy Otten of the INS: “We cannot admit people on non-immigrant visas into the country to attend a public elementary or secondary school. But in this particular case, they’re already here. The INS doesn’t deal with who is admitted to public…schools.”

As people consider the costs associated with schooling as well as the illegal immigration issue in America, it is important that everyone be aware of the Verducci story.