Frederick County Board of Education president Daryl Boffman does not think a proposal to count illegal immigrants in public schools would directly benefit residents.
Federal courts have determined public schools have to educate children who provide the proper documentation, such as proof of immunization and age, he said. Also, the federal government is having trouble funding requests for education programs and Boffman questioned the need to seek additional assistance during a financial crisis.
"These requests are creating division in our county at a time when we really need to pull together as citizens," Boffman said.
Last week, the Frederick County Commissioners approved a request by Commissioner John L. Thompson to ask the state Board of Education whether state law prohibits county schools from asking about the immigration status of its students.
The 4-0 vote, with Kai Hagen absent, came after an attempt by Thompson and Commissioner Charles Jenkins to include on the board's list of legislative proposals a count of illegal immigrants in county schools. That failed when the three other commissioners said they wanted to research the legality of Frederick County Public Schools collecting information on immigration status.
Commissioners President Jan Gardner said her vote in support of the information request was not an indication of her support for a count.
"I think it may help resolve some of the outstanding questions associated with this, but it's certainly not something I support having the (Board of Education) be required to do," she said.
Thompson, Jenkins and Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins are also asking state lawmakers to initiate a separate proposal to count illegal immigrants, without revealing their identity, in county schools. 
They hope such a measure will spur federal legislators to either increase education funding or take action on immigration reform.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=598&sid=1495429
They should have just come out and admitted that they prefer counting illegal aliens in order to receive more funding. News Flash . . . ESL, free breakfast, lunch and education killing the taxpayers and lowering the IQ's of American students who have a RIGHT to be properly educated in this country.
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