The Woodburn School District and Woodburn Education Association are currently amid a contract dispute that has lasted over a year. One issue that has been highly contested in the community is codifying rights and protections around Immigration and Customs enforcement activity on school campuses in the district, where 87% of the student population is Latino. 

The Woodburn School Board has had heavy turnover the past year, since the prior board sparked community backlash after their management of the “Safe and Welcoming Schools resolution,” — causing many to lose their seats. District policies were already in place to protect students against ICE enforcement, but supporters of the resolution maintained it was an important step by school leaders to reaffirm and publicly support these protections in the largely-immigrant led community.

We’ll hear from Jason Levin, a union representative with the Woodburn Education Association and a Career and Technical Education teacher at Woodburn High School, as well as Woodburn School District Superintendent Juan Larios, and Debbie Ballweber, chair of the Woodburn School Board.