Educators for Excellence Celebrates Dream Act Passage, Urges Further Action

June 4 (New York) — Educators for Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization, welcomed the news that the House passed The Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which includes protections for 2.5 million eligible undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children.

“I am glad to see our leaders in the House take up this critically important issue once again so that students can feel safe in our classrooms and neighborhood communities,” said E4E-New York member Ilona Nanay, Global History Teacher at Mott Hall V in the Bronx. “My colleagues and I now ask the Senate to pass this bill and give Dreamers the opportunity to truly invest in their educations and the future of our nation. With the Senate’s action, I will be able to tell all my students that it really is who you are, and not where you come from, that determines your future.”

“Our members, who have advocated tirelessly on behalf of their students, thank House Members for taking an important step to ensure our undocumented students can continue their education, pursue pathways to citizenship and feel safe in their classrooms and country,” said Evan Stone, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Educators for Excellence. “We hope the Senate and President Trump now have the compassion and foresight to let Dreamers reach their full potential and become our nation’s next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs and leaders.”

In a campaign led by a group of nine classroom teachers from across the country, more than 1,200 E4E members signed a letter calling on President Trump and members of Congress to fulfill the promises made to undocumented students and families under DACA. The letter cited the significance of DACA in protecting the safety of students and educators with DACA status, as well as called for a lasting solution, such as the DREAM Act.

In the letter, the E4E members also committed to:

Making sure that all students are welcomed and included in our classrooms, regardless of immigration status;

Protecting information about the immigration status of students and their families; and

Supporting our students, our colleagues and their families by advocating to maintain DACA and finding a more long-lasting solution.

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