A recording of this call is available here.
Washington, D.C. — As part of ongoing efforts to bring attention to the impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), students, teachers, parents, administrators, and the larger K-12 community are coming together the week of October 23 to call on Congress to protect DACAmented individuals and pass a clean Dream Act.
To kick-off the K-12 Week of Action, the Center for American Progress Action Fund invites press to join a call with education leaders as they and millions of Americans call on Congress to pass a Dream Act that will protect the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers facing deportation, 20,000 of whom are teachers. Dreamers call the United States home, they work in every field and every state, and those who work in schools are giving back to their local communities every day. They are devoted to discovering their students’ passions and unlocking their potential. Educators have a professional responsibility to educate all children so that they can have the opportunity to succeed. However, they also see firsthand how the decision to end DACA is hurting their students—stress and anxiety about what their future hold for them and their families are consuming them. They deserve the certainty and opportunity the Dream Act would provide.
According to a recent survey, 97 percent of DACA recipients are currently employed or enrolled in school. Dreamers are an integral component of the fabric of America, and they continue to positively impact our economy: If Congress passed the Dream Act today, our nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) could see an increase of at least $281 billion and as much as $1 trillion over the next decade.
WHO:
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, President, NEA
John B. King Jr., President and CEO, The Education Trust; Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education
Maria Rocha, Third Grade Spanish Teacher from San Antonio; Teach For America alumna and DACA recipient
Randi Weingarten, President, AFT
Tony Evers, Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Moderator: Scott Sargrad, Managing Director, K-12 Education Policy, Center for American Progress Action Fund
WHEN
Monday, October 23, 2017
10:30 a.m. EST
WHERE
Dial-in: 800-930-1344
Conference ID: 4668426
To participate in this press call, please RSVP to [email protected] or 202-741-6258.