Local preschools that run Head Start programs are grappling with how to move forward with a new policy that bans undocumented children from their schools.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcedthat children without legal status would be barred from Head Start programs, effective immediately. That move was a reinterpretation of a 1998 policy (the federal government has opened up a 30-day comment period about the change).
“We’ve been around for 60 years as a Head Start program. We’ve never had to inquire about children or families’ legal status, so this is a far departure from what’s normally been done within this program,” said Luis Bautista, executive director of the Los Angeles County Office of Education Head Start and Early Learning Division, which serves about 7,000 children.
The announcement came without implementation guidelines, which HHS says will be forthcoming. “There’s still a lot of questions around this because the rule doesn’t offer any guidance or instruction,” Bautista said…