The Rogers Foundation Calls For All K-12 And Post-Secondary Education Campuses In Southern Nevada To Be Sanctuaries
Formal Letter of Request Submitted to Leaders of Clark County School District, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the state of fear and uncertainty among students that has been created by the president-elect's threats to civil rights, The Rogers Foundation today held a press conference calling for all K-12 and post-secondary education campuses in Southern Nevada to unequivocally and publicly declare that their campuses will be sanctuaries for undocumented students, staff, and their family members who face imminent deportation.
"Our students and their parents are also concerned that the president-elect's promised changes to our civil rights laws will adversely impact them," said Beverly Rogers, Chairman of the Board of The Rogers Foundation. "President-elect Trump's promised changes to Title IX will eliminate protections that ensure all students, without regard to race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, can learn in a safe and nondiscriminatory environment. In short, the president-elect has promised policies that will devastate our students' lives and divide our community."
Accordingly, it was announced that a formal letter making this request is being delivered to Pat Skorkowsky, Superintendent, Clark County School District (CCSD), Len Jessup, President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dr. Michael Richards, President, College of Southern Nevada, and Bart Patterson, President, Nevada State College. The president of the CCSD Board of Trustees and the chair of the Board of Regents are also copied.
The letter states, "In light of circumstances, The Rogers Foundation's mission to transform lives through education is now more critical than ever. Our programs support some of Southern Nevada's most vulnerable students, and we believe their rights and future are in danger. It is for this reason we seek to establish sanctuary within all of our educational institutions."
The letter outlines several specific safeguards requested and urges that concrete measures be taken to ensure that all students in Southern Nevada are provided the basic American right not to live in fear.
"Our K-12 and post-secondary education campuses must not only be physical safe spaces, but intellectual asylums where freedom to think, to speak, and to hold diverse views is championed," the letter continues. "They should be zones where human rights are upheld, where privacy is respected, where bullying or ostracism cannot take place."
About The Rogers Foundation
The Rogers Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded in 2013 by James E. and Beverly Rogers, The Rogers Foundation awards scholarships to individual students in Southern Nevada and grants to educational institutions, artists and organizations that support the arts in Southern Nevada. The Rogers Foundation also powers two local organizations: Core Academy and Educate Nevada Now. For more information, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or visit www.therogers.foundation.
SOURCE The Rogers Foundation
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