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Regents Policy on Undocumented Students Forces Valedictorian Out of State for College

This article originally appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

[Master's candidate] Josh Delaney of Fayetteville is a former DeKalb County high school teacher, former University of Georgia SGA President and current graduate student at Harvard University Graduate School of Education where he is studying education policy and management. (I hope he comes back to fix some education policies here in Georgia.)

He wrote this piece about the valedictorian at his high school last year.

While teaching at a DeKalb County high school last year, I encountered countless amazing students, but Tony was special. Valedictorian. National Honor Society president. Varsity athlete in three sports. Member of the homecoming court.

Tony, with his contagious smile, was the type of magnetic student a teacher never forgets. He was a hardworking student leader and well-admired scholar who would be considered your typical high school All-American with a promising future ahead of him at the college of his choice.

But Tony is also an undocumented immigrant. And Georgia has closed and locked the doors of opportunity to him. To give Tony and students like him a chance, the Georgia Board of Regents must repeal its ban on undocumented immigrants from Georgia’s selective universities.

In 2010, the regents passed Policy 4.1.6., banning all undocumented students, including Tony, from selective universities. The regents believed this policy would prevent undocumented students from taking seats away from natural-born citizens. ...

To read the complete article, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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