To the Editor:
As an educator for 47 years, including 24 at MVRHS, 13 as an adjunct professor of education for Fitchburg State University on Martha’s Vineyard, seven as founder and former executive director and program director of Adult and Community Education, mentor, and teacher trainer, I appeal to you as parents and a community loving our students to support and applaud the dedicated leaders of our educational community willing to create a Campus Immigration Safe Zone Resolution. As a parent of two former M.V. students, a great-aunt of a current student, a mother-in-law of an Island teacher, and a grandmother of two Island preschool students, I ask you to do whatever is possible to assure that all our students feel safe and protected. It is this safe atmosphere that makes learning positive for all students.
Having witnessed periods of intolerance, of bullying, sexual harassment, ethnic, racial, religious, and LGBTQ prejudice reflected among students in our schools, I have also experienced the powerful antidote and positive impact of proactive, supportive administration, staff, school committees, and community working together to create a safe learning environment.
Campus Immigration Safe Zone Resolutions, endorsed by the National Teachers Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), have been passed in many concerned communities throughout the country. They essentially limit sharing of student and family information with federal immigration authorities, restrict immigration agents’ access to campuses, prohibit campus security from collaborating with federal immigration authorities, and provide resources and information for immigrant students and their families. These resolutions do not require additional district expenditures, staff responsibilities, or school hours. They are a public statement and expression of a deep commitment to our students, families, teachers, administrators, and community that our schools are safe zones.
Hate crimes are on the rise in this country, and our community is not immune. However, I know that our strong community values of respect, trust, pride in our diversity, and deep love of our children will prevail. Thanks for the dedication to our students and for making our schools the very best places of learning.
Lynn Ditchfield, M.Ed., M.A.
Edgartown
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