Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel recorded a video message shared with employees Wednesday, urging them to support and reassure immigrant and refugee students in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants from seven countries.
“It is during these times of confusion and concern that our students and families need us the most -- when it is most essential we pay attention to our children’s needs for reassurance and safety,†he said.
In the five-minute message, Joel makes an impassioned plea to teachers and other employees to set politics aside and uphold the district’s philosophy of educating students of all nationalities and religions -- and of making sure families know school is a place that will remain stable and safe.
Over the weekend, Trump issued an executive order that bans people from seven predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. The countries the order names are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
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About 3,200 LPS students come from 116 countries and speak 68 different languages. More than 1,200 come from the countries named in the executive order, predominately from Iraq.
Joel has spoken before about the need to make sure students feel safe, drawing in part from his experience as superintendent of Grand Island Public Schools in 2006, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials staged a raid on the Swift meatpacking plant there, taking into custody 278 people -- many of them parents of school children.
In an interview, Joel said he decided to send the message to employees because of the uncertainty caused by the travel ban. Some students are afraid that relatives who have gone to their home countries won't be able to come back. And principals have said there’s a lot of tension at schools.
In the video message, he encouraged LPS employees to seek help from counselors, social workers or others if students need extra support.
“I believe we are each entitled to our own personal views and opinions and we need to respect one another and those views and opinions,†Joel said. “But I also believe when it comes to our children we need to leave politics at the door. As educators we must continue to uphold our philosophy of honoring and educating students of all nationalities (and) religions, to remain committed in working with the rich texture and diversity of ideas, talent and experiences that all students and families bring to our school and our community and our state.â€
Despite confusing times, he said, the district’s purpose is clear: to provide a safe, positive learning environment for all students.
“This is our legacy. This is what we do. This is what’s important,†he said. “And we are going to shine through this as a beacon of light and hope for all our children because their success is what matters most.â€