The Woodburn School District now has a ‘Safe and Welcoming Schools’ resolution that reaffirms student protections, regardless of immigration status. But the narrowly approved resolution comes after two weeks of community pressure and a couple hours of tears, protests and calls for resignations during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
The “Reaffirming Safe and Welcoming Schools for All” resolution says Woodburn schools should be welcome places for everyone, and that all children, regardless of immigration status, have a right to safely access free public education. The resolution says the board is committed to eliminating barriers that may prevent students from attending school, including “the fear and anxiety related to immigration topics and federal immigration policies.”
Two weeks ago, the Woodburn School Board rejected the resolution on a 2-3 vote.
The split vote surprised community members and union leaders alike. The board majority worried that backing a public statement on a contentious issue could put the district in a risky financial position as threats of federal funding cuts loom. Concerns from three board members at the time led to the resolution’s defeat.
At the end of the same February meeting, however, the members agreed to revisit the conversation in the near future. A revised version of the resolution was later added to the March 11 meeting.
After the initial vote in February, misinformation spread online, saying the board members had voted to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, into Woodburn schools.
Some posts called out individual board members and included their photos. Students led a school walkout last week.
The resolution was largely symbolic. It didn’t change existing district policies that protect students, nor did it change how law enforcement can access school campuses under Oregon law. Still, proponents argued it was a critical step for the school board to take as leaders of a district in a largely immigrant-led community.
Dozens of people packed the boardroom Tuesday night to urge members to pass the original resolution. Many argued the newer version watered down the language and made it less legally firm.
Dozens of people pack the Woodburn School Board meeting on March 11, 2025, in Woodburn, Ore. Most were urging board members to pass the original 'Safe and Welcoming Schools' resolution they rejected in a split vote two weeks prior. The resolution reaffirms protections for students, regardless of immigration status.
Courtesy of Tony Salm
Several people held up signs with messages such as: “Students over funding,” “In Woodburn, we care for each other,” and “No sellouts! Protect our students!” A petition was presented during testimony that called for the resignation of the three board members who voted against the resolution last month.
Passions and accusations erupted from both sides. Some said the board should be ashamed for not passing the resolution before; one board member who opposed the resolution said the board should be ashamed for considering such a political topic in the first place.
In the end, the board voted to rescind their previous action from Feb. 25. They considered the modified version but ultimately passed the original resolution on a narrow 3-1-1 vote.
Members Ryan Beyer and Courtney Elwell voted again in favor of the resolution. Lisa Carr, the newest board member, changed her vote, allowing the resolution to pass this time around. Vice-chair Rosie Burkoff voted no again, and Chair Noemi Legaspi abstained.
A tense board meeting
Emotions were high Tuesday night, and Legaspi was strict about requiring individuals only read verbatim from written, submitted testimony.
This is a standing practice in the Woodburn boardroom, though it isn’t specifically required under the board’s public comment policy — nor is it that common in other Oregon school board meetings.
About an hour and 40 minutes into the meeting, a young person named Neida Robles began her testimony speaking softly: “Before I get started, I want to share an experience that I was …”
Legaspi cut in as she had for others. “Sorry. I’m gonna stop you right there. Are you reading what I have?”
“I just want to share something real quickly,” Robles said. “I used to be that little girl crying under the sheet.”
“Please,” Legaspi said, their two voices overlapping. “You can choose to disrespect the process, and that is your choice.”
“I have three minutes to speak,” Robles responded.
“You have three minutes to share what is in your statement,” Legaspi said.
“I used to be that little girl, crying under the sheets that my parents were gonna be ripped apart,” Robles continued. She paused and wiped her face.
“Are you going to choose to follow the process?” Legaspi said. “Otherwise, we have to cancel.”
“Now is my time to speak up for those kids that are living in fear,” Robles said, her voice rising.
Legaspi turned to Superintendent Juan Larios for guidance as audience members chanted, then, she quickly called a five-minute recess. The board members stepped out. When they reconvened, Legaspi spoke to the audience. “I understand you. I hear you. And so if we can be attentive, if we can follow process, that is my ask.”
The chair then called the next person up for public comment; Robles stopped her testimony and stepped aside.
The next person up, Maria Erika Guevara, called out the board for having this process in place, requiring people to submit testimony “for prior approval,” as she put it.
“Before, you could just arrive and sign up,” Guevara said in Spanish, an interpreter speaking in English after her. “Now, there is pressure and ridicule for me to come and read something that you already have seen.
“This raises the question: who makes the rules? And who benefits from them?”
Guevara argued the process aids the people in the room with the most power while harming the most vulnerable in the community. She spoke in favor of the resolution before ending her testimony and thanking the board members who voted in favor of it two weeks ago.
“I cannot thank the other ones,” she said before walking away.
Testimony for and against
The vast majority of those testifying Tuesday night spoke in favor of the resolution. Youth, teachers, retirees and community advocates showed up in support.
Among them was Cathi Amie, a second-grade teacher at Woodburn’s Washington Elementary School.
“After having worked for this district for a decade, I moved my family here. I wholeheartedly believed in the work we were doing here,” she told the board. “Woodburn School District, to me, was a place where your first language, race, immigration status — none of it mattered. All that mattered was your ability and your desire to learn. To be the best version of yourself you could be.”
Amie touted the district’s multiple dual-immersion programs and access to teacher-driven professional development, as well as “the way we support and raise up our students to be proud of their diverse cultural heritages.”
Student protesters hold up a flag on March 4, 2025, in Woodburn, Ore., during a school walkout. The action was in response to the Woodburn School Board voting down a 'Safe and Welcoming Schools' resolution the week prior. The board later revisited and passed the resolution on March 11.
Courtesy of Ana Felix-Garcia
After the vote last month, she was disappointed and shocked, especially since the main reason given when voting against it was the concern that federal funds could be taken away and that approving such a resolution could put a target on the district’s back.
Federal funding for education supports a range of priorities, including higher-poverty schools under Title I, preschool programs, school meals, special education and services for students experiencing homelessness.
President Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending government support for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have been tied up in court, with legal pauses suggesting they likely violate the constitution. This is happening as major cuts came this week to the U.S. Department of Education as well.
Amie pointed to the timestamp in the February meeting — before they voted on the resolution — when the board received an update about federal funding.
“The director of the business office said there would be ‘no to little impact on federal funding for schools for the next school year,’” Amie quoted. “Additionally, she reported to you all that it would take a bipartisan effort to upend school finances. The excuse of being worried about federal funding falls flat with what we now know.
“Vote to make this district a place we can be proud of again. Vote to protect our students,” she said, her voice breaking. “We are nothing without them. Vote yes for them.”
Nikit Ovchinnikov was one of the few who vocally supported the board majority’s February vote against the welcoming schools resolution.
“I am here today to show my support for the school board and the work you guys have been doing over the last couple of years,” he said.
“You have my and my family’s support on this and also the support of a lot of people in this community,” he continued. “Thank you for keeping your focus on giving the kids a quality education.”
Board members weigh in
School board members generally don’t respond directly after public comment. In this case, Woodburn made an exception.
Members Beyer and Elwell held their support for the resolution this week. Beyer reminded the board that the resolution did nothing other than support current school policy and current state law.
“There’s already a target on Oregon as a sanctuary state. There’s already a target on Woodburn because of our demographics,” he said. “And so, if anyone thinks that not passing this resolution will save us from not losing funding, then we haven’t been paying attention.”
Elwell reaffirmed her stance as well: “I appreciate your passion so much; it brings me to tears, honestly, because I feel the same way that you do about our students.”
Newest member Carr’s vote ultimately swung the final decision in favor of the resolution. Carr had previously sided with Burkoff in wanting more time and input, and she shared Legaspi’s chief concern that such a resolution could jeopardize federal funding.
“I will not always be as perfect,” Carr said. “I wish I was.
“But I came prepared to vote, and the fact that I have heard so many people tonight say that they support the first resolution versus the second one will inform my vote,” she continued, speaking about the revised version that was proposed for this week’s board meeting.
“So, your voices do matter,” she said, “and I’d love to see all of you back for the next one. We need community, and our community is divided, and that’s not going to serve anybody. We have to come together.”
Roughly 40 students participate in a school walkout on March 4, 2025, in Woodburn, Ore. The protest was in response to the Woodburn School Board the week prior voting down a 'Safe and Welcoming Schools' resolution reaffirming the rights of immigrant students. The board revisited and passed the resolution on March 11.
Courtesy of Ana Felix-Garcia
Vice-chair Burkoff maintained her vote in opposition.
“We were elected to focus on students and education, and by bringing this resolution to the board, to the agenda, I say shame on us,” Burkoff said. “Shame on our educators and shame on our board members, because we have brought destruction.”
Burkoff said the focus of a nonpartisan school board should be on the students and their safety — none of which they can do if funding is cut.
“This is a political agenda. This is a political topic,” she said. “It doesn’t belong here on the school board.
“We are here to support our children. We are role models to our children. And what are we doing? We’re showing disruption,” she said again, expressing concern about misinformation, bullying and attacks. “Shame on us.”
Chair Legaspi also spoke about the divisiveness of the last two weeks. She talked about the emotional impact it has had on her and spoke about her experience as a member of the Hispanic community.
“You want to call it bullying. You want to call it justice. You want to call it, I don’t know, protesting via social media,” she said. “Give it whatever name you want to give it. It is never okay, at least as a Latina, to show disrespect, regardless of your own beliefs.”
Legaspi said she remains concerned that there is no 100% certainty that a resolution like this wouldn’t put the district in harm’s way. She read off some headlines to make her point: “U.S. Department of Education cuts over $6 million. U.S. Department of Education cancels an additional $350 million.” She proposed an amendment to remove the paragraph referring to Oregon’s “Sanctuary Laws,” but the amendment didn’t move forward.
She closed comments with a final message to the board before she abstained in her vote: “Our mission is to educate, support and protect every student. Nothing has changed. Our students are safe. The state law has not changed. Our students are safe. This statement reassures the community of that, so let’s pass it and move forward and refocus on improving educational outcomes for all students.”