The current political climate has proven itself to be extremely volatile, garnering disapproval from much of the population. Government decisions are affecting people daily, but two policies currently discussed will heavily affect our future by affecting our children — DACA, a program that protects immigrants from being deported and allowing them to be employed, have an education, and integrate into diverse communities, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ plans for public education funding. With students who know no  other home potentially facing deportation, and with threats of decreased funding looming over the public education system, the Trump administration has many parents and educators fearing what will happen to the American kids of today.

Recently, President Donald J. Trump has lowered the immigration cap from 110,000 to 45,000 immigrants annually. That is less than half of what it used to be in recent years. In addition, Trump plans to ban families of refugees from visiting them in the United States. In fear of immigrants “stealing” jobs from American citizens, Trump has decided to end DACA in March 5, 2018. This could lead to the deportation of immigrant students, including in the North Clackamas School District.  “Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us,” President Barack Obama replies to Trump, opposing Trump’s decision. Karen Phillips, a North Clackamas principal, said “Current district policy doesn’t allow law enforcement, immigration, etc. to pick up students for immigration purposes. But if they walk on campus and we’re not aware of it, then they might be able to.” This means North Clackamas students could potentially be forcefully removed from school due to DACA.

Betsy DeVos, as Education Secretary of the United States, has a large influence when it comes to children, especially those who attend public schools. However, never having been a public school student, parent, or employee, she is extremely inexperienced on what the needs of public schools in America are. The New York Times published an article detailing DeVos’ plan for education: DeVos plans to divert money from public school and put it towards private and charter schools to support “school choice”. School choice would allow students to pick which school they attend, including private and charter schools. However, private schools are allowed to discriminate against students for any reason they choose, such as sexuality, ethnic background, or beliefs, which is significant considering the majority of private schools are Christian. This plan puts minority, LGBTQA+, and non-Christian students at a disadvantage. Additionally, these proposed budget cuts would affect what programs and opportunities are available to public school programs, including extracurriculars, available bus transportation, sports, art, and music programs on a national scale. North Clackamas very well may find itself affected by these cuts along with schools on state and national levels.

Karen Phillips, the principal of North Clackamas’ Sabin-Schellenberg Centers, said that school choice and diversion of funding “Could affect North Clackamas if students were choosing to go somewhere else and [financial] support followed them. I would think that students would choose to stay.” Phillips noted Sabin-Schellenberg would be a reason for students to stay in North Clackamas, but it would also be put at risk. She said of DeVos’ plan: “Sabin-Schellenberg is funded by the district, so it could affect the number of teachers and classes, as well as consumable supplies that we use.” This would mean less materials and opportunities for unique classes like culinary or welding. Phillips noted that increased funding is “absolutely” critical to provide students with the best school experience possible.