Reynolds Education Association Resolution to Defend Sanctuary Schools,
Opposing ICE, and Mobilize Educators for Social Justice
Adopted 18 February 2026
WHEREAS, the Reynolds Education Association (REA) affirms that public education is grounded in the principles of safety, dignity, inclusion, and universal access, and that meaningful teaching and learning is impossible when students, educators, and their families are subjected to fear, surveillance, or state-sanctioned violence; and
WHEREAS, the Reynolds Education Association Narrative, adopted in 2021, states that REA believes in supporting and amplifying the voices of the communities we serve, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, silenced, or disproportionately impacted by systemic inequities; and that REA is committed to advocating for educational environments that affirm the humanity, identities, and lived experiences of all students and educators, and to resisting policies and practices that undermine equity, justice, or democratic participation in public education; and
WHEREAS, the National Education Association (NEA) has consistently affirmed that educators have a moral and professional responsibility to protect students from systems that inflict trauma, racial profiling, criminalization, and family separation; and
WHEREAS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carries out enforcement practices—including raids, detentions, deportations, surveillance, warrantless searches and seizures, collaboration with local law enforcement, and acts of lethal violence—that generate widespread fear, destabilize families, and erode trust in public institutions; and
WHEREAS, ICE enforcement disproportionately targets Black, Brown, Indigenous, and mixed-status communities, reinforcing racialized systems of policing and incarceration that NEA has explicitly opposed through its racial justice commitments and its work against the school-to-prison pipeline; and
WHEREAS, education unions across the country, including NEA affiliates and other major labor organizations, have adopted resolutions supporting sanctuary schools, opposing collaboration with immigration enforcement, and affirming that schools must never function as sites of surveillance, detention, or punishment; and
WHEREAS, NEA recognizes that collective educator action—through advocacy, organizing, and direct pressure on policymakers—is both a legitimate and necessary means of defending students, educators, families, and communities from harmful public policy; and
WHEREAS, neutrality in the face of policies that harm students, educators, and communities is incompatible with the mission of public education and the historic responsibility of the labor movement;
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association condemns ICE and all systems that inflict fear, violence, and harm upon communities, and affirms its solidarity with undocumented individuals, mixed-status and immigrant families, BIPOC communities, and all those impacted by immigration enforcement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association reaffirms its commitment to sanctuary schools and sanctuary communities by opposing ICE presence in school environments and rejecting any collaboration among schools, school districts, local law enforcement, and immigration enforcement agencies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association supports the abolition of ICE and broader efforts to dismantle systems of detention, deportation, and immigration policing, and calls for the redirection of public resources toward education and community-based supports that strengthen families and promote well-being; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association urges the National Education Association (NEA), in coordination with the Oregon Education Association (OEA), local affiliates, and allied labor unions, to advance policies and advocacy that protect educators, students, and families, oppose criminalization within school communities, and promote community-centered approaches to safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association urges NEA, in coordination with OEA, REA, and allied labor unions, to mobilize collective advocacy and direct action to pressure the federal government to abolish ICE and other publicly funded systems of detention, deportation, and immigration policing that undermine educator and student safety and well-being; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association calls upon its members and all educators to take an active stance against the enforcement policies and actions of ICE and other federal agencies that terrorize and criminalize colleagues, students, and families, recognizing that defending public education requires active resistance to injustice; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association directs its leadership to widely communicate this resolution—including to OEA, the NEA Board of Directors, Oregon’s congressional delegation, and other appropriate bodies—and to engage members in sustained education, organizing, and advocacy in defense of social justice for all.
This resolution is inspired by and adapted from the Beaverton Education Association’s
“Resolution Opposing ICE, Affirming Sanctuary Schools, and Advancing Educator Action for Social Justice.”
Adopted by Reynolds Education Association Representative Assembly on 02/18/2026
Opposing ICE, and Mobilize Educators for Social Justice
Adopted 18 February 2026
WHEREAS, the Reynolds Education Association (REA) affirms that public education is grounded in the principles of safety, dignity, inclusion, and universal access, and that meaningful teaching and learning is impossible when students, educators, and their families are subjected to fear, surveillance, or state-sanctioned violence; and
WHEREAS, the Reynolds Education Association Narrative, adopted in 2021, states that REA believes in supporting and amplifying the voices of the communities we serve, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, silenced, or disproportionately impacted by systemic inequities; and that REA is committed to advocating for educational environments that affirm the humanity, identities, and lived experiences of all students and educators, and to resisting policies and practices that undermine equity, justice, or democratic participation in public education; and
WHEREAS, the National Education Association (NEA) has consistently affirmed that educators have a moral and professional responsibility to protect students from systems that inflict trauma, racial profiling, criminalization, and family separation; and
WHEREAS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carries out enforcement practices—including raids, detentions, deportations, surveillance, warrantless searches and seizures, collaboration with local law enforcement, and acts of lethal violence—that generate widespread fear, destabilize families, and erode trust in public institutions; and
WHEREAS, ICE enforcement disproportionately targets Black, Brown, Indigenous, and mixed-status communities, reinforcing racialized systems of policing and incarceration that NEA has explicitly opposed through its racial justice commitments and its work against the school-to-prison pipeline; and
WHEREAS, education unions across the country, including NEA affiliates and other major labor organizations, have adopted resolutions supporting sanctuary schools, opposing collaboration with immigration enforcement, and affirming that schools must never function as sites of surveillance, detention, or punishment; and
WHEREAS, NEA recognizes that collective educator action—through advocacy, organizing, and direct pressure on policymakers—is both a legitimate and necessary means of defending students, educators, families, and communities from harmful public policy; and
WHEREAS, neutrality in the face of policies that harm students, educators, and communities is incompatible with the mission of public education and the historic responsibility of the labor movement;
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association condemns ICE and all systems that inflict fear, violence, and harm upon communities, and affirms its solidarity with undocumented individuals, mixed-status and immigrant families, BIPOC communities, and all those impacted by immigration enforcement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association reaffirms its commitment to sanctuary schools and sanctuary communities by opposing ICE presence in school environments and rejecting any collaboration among schools, school districts, local law enforcement, and immigration enforcement agencies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association supports the abolition of ICE and broader efforts to dismantle systems of detention, deportation, and immigration policing, and calls for the redirection of public resources toward education and community-based supports that strengthen families and promote well-being; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association urges the National Education Association (NEA), in coordination with the Oregon Education Association (OEA), local affiliates, and allied labor unions, to advance policies and advocacy that protect educators, students, and families, oppose criminalization within school communities, and promote community-centered approaches to safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association urges NEA, in coordination with OEA, REA, and allied labor unions, to mobilize collective advocacy and direct action to pressure the federal government to abolish ICE and other publicly funded systems of detention, deportation, and immigration policing that undermine educator and student safety and well-being; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association calls upon its members and all educators to take an active stance against the enforcement policies and actions of ICE and other federal agencies that terrorize and criminalize colleagues, students, and families, recognizing that defending public education requires active resistance to injustice; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reynolds Education Association directs its leadership to widely communicate this resolution—including to OEA, the NEA Board of Directors, Oregon’s congressional delegation, and other appropriate bodies—and to engage members in sustained education, organizing, and advocacy in defense of social justice for all.
This resolution is inspired by and adapted from the Beaverton Education Association’s
“Resolution Opposing ICE, Affirming Sanctuary Schools, and Advancing Educator Action for Social Justice.”
Adopted by Reynolds Education Association Representative Assembly on 02/18/2026