Were Immigrant Parents Afraid to Report Sex Abuse Allegations at California School? raises an important issue about the tragedy at a Los Angeles elementary school (see my previous post, What A Tragic Mess In Los Angeles).

It highlights yet another reason why schools must make parent engagement a priority and develop a solid bond of trust in the community.

The post ends with this question:

Not only in cases of alleged abuse, but also in general, do you think fear of deportation negatively affects parental involvement at schools with large immigrant populations?

My answer, though, would generally be “no,” unless we’re talking about the growing number of states who are trying to make teachers and schools “guards instead of guardians” (as Randi Weingarten from the United Federation of Teachers put it), including Alabama.

What do you think?