THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AT LEAST ONE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ARE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S INCREASING EFFORTS TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM THE UNITED STATES.
COUNCILMAN MATTHEW O’KANE, WHO ALSO TEACHES AT WEST HIGH SCHOOL, BROUGHT UP HIS CONCERNS AT THE END OF MONDAY’S CITY COUNCIL MEETING:
Audio PlayerMAATHEW1 OC……. IN OUR COMMUNITY. :16
SIOUX CITY IS NOT A SANCTUARY CITY, BUT O’KANE SAYS HE WISHES THAT WAS DIFFERENT:
Audio PlayerMAATHEW2 OC………OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATION. :17
O’KANE SAYS OUR LOCAL ECONOMY WILL SUFFER IF IMMIGRANTS ARE ROUNDED UP UNDER THE FEDERAL EDICT:
Audio PlayerMAATHEW3 OC……….IN SIOUX CITY. :21
HE SAYS IF YOU KNOW AN AFFECTED FAMILY, PLEASE TRY TO COMFORT THEM.
FOLLOWING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, O’KANE THEN ADDRESSED THE SIOUX CITY SCHOOL BOARD IN THE CITIZEN CONCERNS PORTION OF THEIR MEETING, SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN HIS WEST HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM:
Audio PlayerMAATHEW4 OC…AFFECTS OUR CITY. :15
O’KANE ASKED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO SUPPORT THOSE AFFECTED STUDENTS:
Audio PlayerMAATHEW5 OC……….OPERATE AS ONE. :16
O’KANE TOLD THE SCHOOL BOARD THAT AT LEAST FIVE OF HIS STUDENTS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY MISSING CLASSES RECENTLY.
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROD EARLEYWINE TOLD THE BOARD THE DISTRICT HAS MONITORED ATTENDANCE AND THERE HAS BEEN A SLIGHT DROP INVOLVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSISTED STUDENTS.
HE SAYS THE FEDERAL ACTION HAS WEIGHED HEAVILY ON HIM AND THE DISTRICT’S STAFF:
Audio PlayerROD8 OC…. ACROSS THE STATE. :19
EARLEYWINE DID NOT MENTION ANY SPECIFIC ACTION, BUT BOARD MEMBER DAN GREENWELL EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT KEEPING THE SCHOOL BOARD INFORMED ON WHAT HE WAS DOING:
Audio PlayerDAN1 OC………SHOULD DO. :14
DR. EARLEYWINE REPLIED THAT HE WAS NOT TAKING A POLITICAL STAND, BUT SOME BASIC THINGS NEEDED TO BE COMMUNICATED, AND POLICY CHANGES WOULD BE PROPOSED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD.
