Oklahoma ed chief proposes rule to track number of illegal immigrants in public schools

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – The Oklahoma State Department of Education proposed a rule that would require schools to report the number of illegal immigrants enrolled at public K-12 schools.

Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the proposed rules Wednesday which would require parents to provide proof of citizenship when enrolling a child in a public school and would require schools to report the number of individuals unable to do so. The proposal is part of a growing effort to combat illegal immigration, reduce the “incredible burden for the taxpayers” and end “sanctuary schools,” Walters explained in a video shared on X.

“Each school district shall record the number of students enrolled within the district for which a parent or a legal guardian of a child, or the emancipated minor could not provide proof of citizenship or legal immigration status,” the proposal reads. Schools are then required to report the total number of students who lack proof of citizenship to the state’s education department.

The law will not prevent children of illegal immigrants from receiving education nor would it track the specific individuals lacking proof of citizenship, the text stated.

The State Board of Education will vote on the proposed rule in early 2025.

In October, Walters sent a letter to the Biden Administration’s “border czar” Vice President Kamala Harris demanding reimbursement for the apparent $474,900,000 illegal immigration has cost Oklahoma taxpayers in education costs alone under Biden-Harris. Between 2021 and 2023, nearly 3,000 unaccompanied immigrant children were sent to Oklahoma, and many more “illegal immigrant children that are not unaccompanied” entered the state, according to the letter.

Walters also pointed to the nearly half a million unaccompanied minors encountered at the border during the Biden-Harris Administration in his letter.

“Kamala Harris’ fiasco at the border has led directly to an enormous financial burden on all Americans, especially Oklahomans,” Walters said in a press release at the time. “Oklahomans are kind, hard-working folks, but their patience with being asked to foot the bill for the federal government’s failure has run out. I demand Oklahoma taxpayers be reimbursed for the impact illegal immigration presents to our state. We cannot effectively budget or allocate critical resources when we have no accounting of the cost that illegal immigration places on our schools.”

Walters has issued sweeping education reform in the state in recent months, which have faced criticism from the left as well as legal challenges. Some of his proposals include mandating Bible lessons in public schools and banning on drag queens and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 schools.

Walters did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.