New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students

The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG), the Office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and the New York State Education Department (SED) share a longstanding commitment to safeguarding the rights of all students, including all noncitizen students. Our offices have previously issued guidance to school districts and state agencies on several topics to ensure that New York’s immigrant students have equal access to education and other public services. In light of recent threats of increased federal immigration actions in our communities, we write to reaffirm that schools should remain a safe haven where all students are welcomed and provided a free public education.

This guidance highlights and clarifies relevant resources for school districts regarding their obligations under state and federal law. While the guidance does not address local policies that may afford additional protections, school districts should be aware of all policies governing their operations. To the extent questions arise regarding compliance, we encourage school districts to contact SED and OAG.

New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – English

Translated Versions

• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Arabic
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Bengali
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – French
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Haitian Creole
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Italian
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Korean
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Polish
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Russian
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Simplified Chinese
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Spanish
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Traditional Chinese
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Urdu
• New York State Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students – Yiddish