RCOE Tables Immigration Defiance Resolution, Will Update Board Policy Instead

The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) Governing Board voted 6-1 to table the controversial and defiant Resolution 09-25 Recognizing Riverside County's Commitment to Provide All Children Equal Access to Education. The dissenting vote was board president and Area 6 (Coachella Valley) representative Elizabeth F. Romero, who apparently had something to do with the authorship of the resolution. President Romero was not very happy.

You can read here and here for backstory information on the resolution, the resolution itself, and board policy 5145.13.

The rest of the board members were not exactly thrilled with voting against the Resolution 09-25 but saw various danger zones and counseled patience, which Romero abided by.

One danger zone was saying that the board would cooperate with state and local governments, and NGOs, but did not include the federal government. One board member pointed out this omission could trigger a lawsuit against RCOE.

Another danger zone was the use of “gender orientation” which flies in the Face of President Trump’s Executive Orders including Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling and could lead to losses of Federal money for the RCOE.

At least one board member counseled that the Resolution could be brought back at a later time.

Another board member said that the board should simply follow existing policies (5145.13) and let the boards actions, which would be aligned with the resolution anyways, speak for themselves.

Still another board member counseled Romero she could “update” the existing board policy 5145.13 so that it “dovetails with” her major ideal that are within the resolution.

The argument that passing the Resolution could lead to a “full board room” at the next meeting, which implied that citizens would show up en-masse to protest, was interesting in that it recognizes the unpopularity of the boards DEI and gender ideologies.

One board member called the actions of Trump and his cabinet “despicable,” and another said that Trump and his cabinet, or Riverside County citizens that opposed the resolution, or both had “perversions.”

Romero, and other board members, felt it was “ridiculous” to even be having the “conversation.”

What the majority of the board fails to understand, what is ridiculous, is that discussing ways to subvert federal law in not “protecting” children. It is ridiculous that the board believes it has the authority to carve out an immigration exemption for any illegal that convinces schools that they are under 18.

It should be pointed out that the RCOE admitted in their resolution, and in their meeting, that there were “thousands” of illegal immigrants in Riverside County schools.

It should also be noted that RCOE seems to feel, through their words and actions, that they have the authority to usurp the Constitution at will. Immigration laws have already been established by the United States Legislative Branch and upheld the Judicial Branch. The last administration, as well as current “Sanctuary Cities” chose to ignore those laws, Trump et.al. has chosen to enforce those laws. As he was elected to do.

A County Office of Education governing board does not have the power to ignore Federal laws at will. Nor do State or Local governments.

Nobody is asking schools to put kids under a heat lamp and interrogate them about their immigration status. However, citizens must produce a birth certificate and an immunization record to enroll in school, must illegal immigrants produce these documents?

If the RCOE has no idea of Riverside County students immigration status, then how do they know that “thousands of students and families” are fearful of deportation?

RCOE should amend board policy 5145.13, to reflect full cooperation with the Federal government. After all, that request for information could be in regard to a dangerous international gang member, a fentanyl dealer, or a victim of human trafficking. It is imperative that our school boards, and County Offices, set an example of Patriotic American citizenship and civic participation, not lawlessness.

President Trump and his superb cabinet are not “using children as political pawns,” they are saving children from inappropriate reading material and grooming of children into so-called gender dysphoria. Trump is saving the children from racist, divisive and anti-American DEI ideologies. In other words, current RCOE board policies.

Unfortunately, the board has as of yet failed to recognize that they were bamboozled by a Biden Regime (near) one billion dollar propaganda scheme on all things covid, as this Congressional Energy and Commerce “We Can Do This:” report explains. Woefully, the board is being duped by the same people again--or they are knowingly and willfully taking part—in regard to DEI and gender ideology.

The entire board meeting can be viewed on the RCOE YouTube channel, but the highlights are below. Oh, the disdain they have for the majority of the American People.