#Maine Law Firm Tells #PublicSchools to #ResistICE Enforcement by Destroying #Immigration Records

By Steve Robinson January 26, 2025

"A leading progressive law firm in Maine is advising public school officials on how they can effectively resist potential immigration enforcement actions that may involve the families of minors who attend government-run schools, including by destroying evidence of potential immigration crimes.

"The advice may place school officials in the legal crosshairs of the Trump Administration under a new policy advisory distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which warns state and local officials not to interfere with federal law enforcement activities.

"'[S]chool officials should generate a plan for what to do if immigration officials seek to conduct activities at school, and provide appropriate training to those who may come in contact with officials,' law firm Drummond Woodsum warned in an 'Immigration Client Alert' distributed on Jan. 21.

"A copy of that advisory email was obtained by the Maine Wire and is published [at the link] in full.

"The memo advises clients who may have evidence that a student and that student’s parents or guardians are not U.S. citizens or are present in the U.S. without authorization.

"According to Drummond Woodsum, school officials should destroy those records or stop collecting them so as to #obstruct or prevent federal immigration officials from enforcing American immigration law.

"Schools may have collected data on students’ #USCitizenship, #nationality, #CountryOfBirth, #USEntryDate, the date a student first attended school, or the #ImmigrationStatus of the student or their parents or guardians, the memo states.

“'[T]his information should not be stored as part of a students education record and should be destroyed as soon as it is no longer needed,' the memo states."

https://www.themainewire.com/2025/01/maine-law-firm-tells-public-schools-to-resist-ice-enforcement-by-destroying-immigration-records/
#ImmigrantRights #HumanRights #AbolishICE #ICERaids #USPol #MaineSchools

Meanwhile, here in #Maine...

Students explore nature and sustainability with #MaineLocalLivingSchool

Kingfield Elementary School students participated in an immersive day of place-based learning, guided by the Maine Local Living School, which focuses on practical skills and ecological #stewardship, and Arbor Mountain Tree Service, exploring #sustainable forestry, acorn ecology, and bridge construction.

By Rebecca Richard, December 5, 2024

KINGFIELD — "There was a whirlwind of activity last month at Kingfield Elementary School [KES] as students immersed themselves in a day of place-based learning with Maine Local Living School and Arbor Mountain Tree Service. Tailored for each grade level, the lessons highlighted ecological connections, sustainable practices and community engagement through hands-on projects.

"The Maine Local Living School, dedicated to teaching practical skills and fostering ecological stewardship, partnered with Arbor Mountain Tree Service to guide students in exploring sustainable forestry, acorn ecology and hands-on bridge construction.

"Kindergarten and first grade students worked with Chris Knapp of Maine Local Living School to explore the seasonal abundance of acorns. 'This fall was a tremendous acorn harvest,' Knapp said, explaining how the lessons tied to the season. Students acted out the germination process of an acorn and identified oak leaves using compare-and-contrast exercises.

"Knapp also emphasized the cultural significance of acorns. 'We honored the long history of peoples for whom acorn has been and is a staple crop,' he said. The day ended with students playing a food web game, simulating predator and prey roles while gathering acorns and enjoying freshly baked acorn biscuits.

"Second and fourth grade students collaborated with Knapp on constructing a community footbridge to cross a stream in the biodiversity field at the front of the school. “The footbridge project reflects Maine Local Living School’s and KES’s shared goals to engage in project-based learning,” Knapp said.

"The students began by identifying cedar trees, prized for their rot-resistant properties and thinned over 20 saplings from a dense stand. 'Students were asked to consider which trees were the best candidates for the future forest based on crown health, upright habit, and space,' Knapp explained."

Original article:
https://www.sunjournal.com/2024/12/05/students-explore-nature-and-sustainability-with-maine-local-living-school/

#SolarPunkSunday #NatureBasedLearning #TEK #KingfieldMaine #ForestEcology #MaineSchools #SustainableForestry #Acorns #ArborMountainTreeService #Sustainability #FoodForests #Biodiversity #ProtectTheForests

Study to focus on how #PFAS travels from Maine's rural schools to #ResidentialWells

MDI Bio Lab plans to sample water from homeowners near several #HancockCounty schools.

"Scientists say #cleaning supplies and #FloorWax commonly used in schools are made with PFAS chemicals that go through septic systems and seep into the #groundwater. Mount Desert Island Regional School System Superintendent Mike Zboray said the district hopes to switch to #PFASfree alternatives."

Author: Vivien Leigh (NEWS CENTER Maine)
Published: 6:15 PM EDT May 23, 2024

BAR HARBOR, Maine — Researchers plan to test residential wells near several Hancock County schools to determine if their wastewater is causing the spread of PFAS chemicals.

Filtration systems were installed at Mount Desert High School several years ago after elevated levels of toxic chemicals were discovered in its drinking water.

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/pfas/studyhow-pfas-travels-from-rural-schools-residential-wells-hancock-county-maine-health/97-536c8780-c99b-456e-826b-84b6bfe5cb4f

#Maine #PFASPollution #FloorWax #Schools #MaineSchools #WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalPollution #CleaningProducts

#WabanakiStudies should be taught at all #MaineSchools

OpEd by Hope Carroll, December 26, 2023

"#Wabanaki history is ingrained across #Maine and has deep rooted cultural relationships with major natural landmarks that many of us see everyday. However, there is a concerning gap surrounding the important aspects of our state’s rich Wabanaki history and what little many students learn about it in Maine schools.

"Wabanaki studies need to be consistently incorporated into all Maine school districts. According to a 2022 report done by the #AbbeMuseum, the #MaineACLU, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission and the #WabanakiAlliance, the Wabanaki studies law passed by Maine in 2001 is not appropriately enforced across the state.

"The law 'requires schools to teach Maine K–12 students about Wabanaki territories, economic systems, cultural systems, governments, and political systems, as well as the Wabanaki tribes’ relationships with local, state, national, and international governments,' the report says.

"The Portland public school system recently incorporated a Wabanaki studies program into its curriculum. This will hopefully be a good example for other districts across Maine and encourage them to do the same.

"Teaching Wabanaki studies will help children gain a better understanding of the state. In time, this can help them develop a closer relationship with the #land and our responsibility to ensure that it is cared for and treated with respect.

"'Through #traditional stories representing the terrestrial and aquatic systems, important [Wabanaki] values are imparted that safeguard culturally significant resources from overuse and ensure the persistence of the people and culture,' says Natalie Michelle, interdisciplinary studies and research assistant of native environmental studies in climate change at the University of Maine.

"It is more important than ever that we look to native science as we face irreversible damage to our climate. We must prioritize implementing these ideals early into the educational careers of children so they go on to practice them throughout their lives.

"Western science and education has taught the ideals of dominance over nature for centuries. This is reflected in practices that have contributed to the #extinction of animals, rises in #NaturalDisasters, food and water shortages and the numerous other effects of #ClimateChange. Instead of connecting with #nature, we are often taught to distance ourselves from the #NaturalWorld. We are taught to use vague and nonspecific naming tools like 'it' to refer to any non-human being.

"'We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating #hierarchies of difference that justify our actions — so we don’t feel,' says Robin Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of #EnvironmentalScience and #Forestry.

"Kimmerer talks of alternatives to using 'it' to put ourselves on the same level as other living beings, recognizing them as relatives by calling them by their name. But she says that this can be difficult for many of her students because they were not taught these alternatives until now.

"In my experience growing up in Maine and going to school, I never encountered a class focused on Wabanaki studies until college. I am grateful to have this opportunity now. But it has been difficult for me to implement these new ideals into my thinking toward the land around me because they seem so foreign.

"Using the word 'foreign' seems wrong when describing ideals that have been used in Maine since long before any of us were here. But Maine schools and communities have an opportunity to change this.

"Children who grow up in this state have the right and responsibility to know the history of the land around them. They have the right and responsibility to understand the negative implications of #colonization and #ForcedRemoval of the #WabanakiTribes and how despite horrible #historical events, the Wabanaki people have endured and developed their own #sovereign structures.

"In order to create more inclusive classrooms that incorporate all aspects of our state history and work towards building respectful relationships with Maine land, other communities should follow the exciting example being set in #PortlandMaine."

Source:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/26/opinion/opinion-contributor/wabanaki-studies-maine-schools-education/

#WabanakiConfederacy #LandBack #IndigenousPeoples
#IndigenousSovereignty #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards
#Stewardship #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews