Nearly 50 Arizona superintendents sign letter in support of DACA
Sep 7, 2017, 4:03 PM
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
PHOENIX — Nearly 50 Arizona superintendents signed a letter in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program eliminated by President Donald Trump this week.
The letter from 48 superintendents claimed that a University of California-San Diego study showed the DACA program had helped eligible students in the state.
It also said the elimination of DACA would affect the state’s schools.
“Many of our employees are DACA recipients, from teachers to technology specialists,” it read. “We will have classrooms that need long-term substitutes, cafeterias that need cooks, sports teams that need coaches, and counseling centers that need counselors.
“With school systems that are already deprived of people and resources, this brings us great concern.”
Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson, who signed the letter, said the ending of DACA has people in his district worried.
“Many of our students and families are in crisis this week,” he said.
“We have crisis management teams that are in place for families that need support above and beyond just counselling services,” he said, adding that the district was providing counseling services to concerned students and staff.
