In response to a dip in attendance attributed to immigration enforcement fears, the Forest Grove School District (FGSD) Board of Directors approved a partnership with the Hillsboro School District Tuesday morning that will allow up to 30 FGSD students to attend school virtually.
"The increase in immigration enforcement in western Washington County has caused a great deal of fear in our immigrant community, and as a result, many students are not attending school at this time," said Dr. Suzanne West, superintendent of the Forest Grove School District.
The present board members—vice-chair Alma Lozano was absent—unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Hillsboro School District that will allow up to 30 kindergarten through eighth grade students to join the Hillsboro Online Academy.
High school students with concerns about attending school in-person are already receiving remote instruction, West said, with the use of the Forest Grove School District's Canvas platform.
West, speaking to the Forest Grove School Board during a brief special session the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 18, said the district was finding ways to get students to school, but for various reasons, their efforts could not reach all of them.
"The district has a legal and ethical responsibility to provide equal access to public education for all students, regardless of immigration status, as affirmed by Plyler v. Doe (1982)," the description of the agenda item board members adopted Tuesday read.
Steps the district has already taken include adjusting bus stops and school staff walking students from their neighborhoods into school, West said.
"All students in this country, immigrant or not, are entitled to an education," she said.
The agreement will allow between 10 and 30 kindergarten through eighth grade students to join the academy, with a total cost of between $105,400 and $350,000, depending on enrollment, to be paid to the Hillsboro School District.
The agreement is valid through June 16, 2026, and can be renewed if both districts approve it.
Forest Grove students who attend the Hillsboro Online Academy will retain their status as Forest Grove School District students, allowing them to participate in school sports, clubs, activities, and graduations.
