AMHERST — In what is believed to be a first in the region, the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee has unanimously approved a policy designed to protect undocumented students.

The policy on the protection of undocumented students states that Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools staff will not refer students or families to Immigration and Customs Enforcement if, for whatever reason, they disclose their immigration status.

In another significant move, the committee is taking steps to fire a firm it hired to search for a permanent superintendent. The board, together with the Union 26 School Committee, also agreed on contract terms for interim Superintendent Michael Morris, who will fill that position for another year while the search begins anew.

Finally, the Amherst-Pelham committee ratified an agreement with the teachers’ union ahead of bargaining talks this fall.

Besides instituting the non-referral of immigrant students and families, the policy denies agents with ICE access to school property, unless a signed warrant is provided to the superintendent and district counsel, who will also ask for the agent’s credentials, why they are at the school and what evidence of reasonable suspicion exists in relation to the warrant. 

The district will also require written authorization from an ICE agent’s authorizing official for any interviews that would take place on school property, and the superintendent would notify the student in question of their right to refuse to answer questions.

“I felt very positive about it, I think our School Committee has really taken a leadership role in this issue,” Morris said about Tuesday’s unanimous vote of approval. Morris said he plans to share news of the new policy with families and staff in his weekly update on Friday.

The policy appears to be the first in the region, according to Glenn Koocher, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

Superintendent search

In an 8-1 vote, the committee agreed to discontinue using the firm Ray and Associates Inc. to conduct a search for a permanent superintendent.

Confidence in the Iowa-based firm wavered when, in March, it was revealed that the company likely violated Massachusetts’ anti-discrimination law by asking candidates about their criminal backgrounds. Massachusetts prohibits such questions from being asked on applications.

That in turn led to the suspension of the search, and now the School Committee has decided not to move forward with the firm, which has already been paid $14,109 of the $17,000 in its contract, as well as $1,350 paid for advertising at the firm’s request.

“The reality is that they still sound a little detached, so I think that reduced the amount of trust and confidence the committee had that we’d get the best effort we could from Ray and Associates in the search,” committee Chairman Eric Nakajima said.

Nakajima said the School Committee will attempt to recoup as much of the money as possible.

The motion approved Tuesday directs the committee to begin the process of terminating the contract, and Nakajima said that process will include discussion about the money already spent.

In the meantime, Morris will continue his current role as interim superintendent for the next school year, with a $148,625 salary for fiscal year 2018.

“I’m very excited to be coming back next year in the role,” Morris said. At the end of next year, Morris, who has said he is not seeking the permanent position, will have the option of returning to his regular position as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Nakajima said.

Finally, the committee ratified a one-year contract with the Amherst-Pelham Education Association. 

The deal, which will cover next school year, means a 2.5 percent increase on base salaries. The committee and the union also agreed to enter into what’s called “interest-based bargaining” to negotiate a new three-year contract in the fall.

Interest-based bargaining, Fay said, is an approach in which the two parties in contract talks sit together around the table and talk about what they feel are the most important issues to be addressed.

“It’s something that we’ve never done before in Amherst, and it’s something I’ve always been interested in doing,” union president Jean Fay said about the process.

“It’s a lot more conversation-based, everyone at the table has an equal voice,” she said. “I like the fact that we’re talking about some issues that sometimes you don’t get to in traditional bargaining.”

]]>