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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2017)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian BROWN: ‘I will continue to fight back and protect Oregon’ Continued from 1A “He said that is not their target, that is not their focus, that the media is distorting all of this.” A 1987 state law established Oregon as what is now called a “sanctuary” state. That law bans local and state law enforcement from using immigration status as the sole reason to investigate or arrest someone. After President Donald Trump said his administration would crack down on illegal immigration, Brown signed an executive order on Feb. 2 that reaffirmed the 1987 Oregon law and expanded it to other state agencies. Salem on Monday became the latest Oregon community to adopt a “sanctuary” resolution. The City Council voted unan- imously to ban use of city resources to enforce federal immigration law. After the Trump administration threat- ened to withhold federal funding, some communities withdrew their “sanctuary” designations. Brown said Kelly did not indicate Oregon would lose federal dollars. “I will continue to fight back and protect Oregon. I want us to remain an inclusive and welcoming state to our immigrant and refugee populations,” she said. Brown told Kelly that the federal immi- gration roundups created distrust among immigrants, making them afraid to go to courthouses, state agencies or jobs for fear of being targeted. As a result, the immi- gration enforcement also will harm the Oregon economy, because immigrants are the backbone of the agriculture, forestry and other industries. On other topics, Brown said: • As the Trump administration looks to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price promised that no one would lose health care coverage. Oregon has added 400,000 residents to state health insurance through the ACA, also known as Obamacare. • Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environ- mental Protection Agency, agreed with Brown that the Superfund cleanup of the Portland harbor needed to proceed faster. SCHOOL: District is not required to track its undocumented students Continued from 1A school and several businesses around town were closed. “That was a significant event,” he said. “Societal-related issues are now coming into our schools. That’s why I chose to speak out.” Using information from the Port- land law firm Miller Nash, Maiocco explained the details of the executive order. “The federal government will increase efforts against ‘removable aliens,’” he said. He added that the federal government will ensure that “sanctuary jurisdictions” are not eligible to receive federal grants except in special cases deemed necessary for law enforcement. He said cases where parole is used in lieu of detention will now only be used sparingly, and only in the case of humanitarian reasons. He said according to the order, significant new resources will also be allotted for enforcement agencies and deten- tion centers. After touching on some of the basic principles of the order, Maiocco discussed how schools may be affected. Under Barack Obama’s admin- istration, he said, schools were considered a “sensitive location,” and ICE agents typically wouldn’t enter — although they weren’t prohibited from doing so. Thus far, he said schools will still be treated as such, but he added that it may not stay that way. “Things are changing very quickly,” he said. Maiocco said while there is no common definition for “sanctuary jurisdiction,” it typically means the district office won’t provide student or family information to ICE except as required by law. Maiocco said cases in which the district would be required to provide information about a student’s immigration status may be if the district is subpoenaed, and after they have complied with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requirement to make substantial efforts to let the family of the student know they’re releasing their child’s information. Another case, he said, is if a law enforcement agency is in hot pursuit of a student who they have probable cause to believe is involved in a felony. Maiocco said Oregon law dictates that state law enforcement agencies can’t use agency money, equipment or personnel to detect people whose only violation is of federal immigra- tion laws. “We should not see (local or state police) coming to our schools to enforce solely immigration claims,” he said. Maiocco said while the district knows it has undocumented students, it doesn’t track them and is not required to track them. According to federal law, he said, the district can’t even ask those questions. He refer- enced Plyler vs. Doe, a 1982 Supreme Court case that affirmed the rights of undocumented students to attend school — as well as the district’s own policies on nondiscrimination. “All students are entitled to a school environment free of harass- ment and bullying,” he said, referring to board policy AC, which focuses on nondiscrimination toward all students. Maiocco said to his knowledge there have not been any bullying or harassment incidents related to the executive order or immigration status. He said there was a concern that a teacher had made comments and shown signs of bias against students participating in the protest by issuing a pop quiz and not allowing them to make it up, but said the district investigated those claims and found them to be false. “Clearly there was some kind of communication problem,” Maiocco said. “The teacher and student didn’t understand one another. The specific allegations of bias, and that they issued a ‘pop quiz’ are not true.” Maiocco said in that instance, there was a pre-scheduled quiz, and the teacher gave students who missed it the opportunity to make it up. “We want kids and families to know that schools are generally safe,” he said. TEACHER: Former student was not a minor when the relationship turned sexual Continued from 1A grade teacher at Hermiston’s Armand Larive Middle School and began coaching the high school boys basket- ball team. The commission, which determines discipline for educators in Oregon, received a report from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office in early October 2014, informing them of an investigation due to allegations of inappropriate conduct between McElligott and the student. The criminal investigation was closed soon after but the commis- sion continued to investigate professional malfeasance. It concluded that McElligott’s behavior constituted gross neglect of duty in violation of several Oregon laws, and subsequently revoked his teaching license. The former student said she was not a minor when the relationship turned sexual, and that she had initiated the first sexual encounter. She said McElligott insisted she wait until she graduated before discussing her feelings for him. According to the woman, McElligott said he followed a code in which he never got involved with a student before they graduated. According to the police report, at the time of the interview McElligott was also involved with another former student who was also over the age of 18. That former student did not respond to reported attempts by the police to contact her. Further investigation by the commission revealed that McElligott and the student had exchanged personal phone calls and text messages during the 2012-2013 school year, and in spring 2013 the two met in the softball dugout before school because the student had to make up time from a practice she missed. McElligott talked with the student about some personal conflicts she was facing. He told her he cared about her, and that he disapproved of her date to the prom and some of her lifestyle choices. McElligott also gave the student a gift of some nuts that she liked, which he had done with other students. Before leaving, McElligott gave the student a “full-on hug,” the report said, and told her again that he cared about her. Dr. Monica Beane, the executive director of the TSPC, said some cases take longer because of the avail- ability of witnesses. She said if a case is also being inves- tigated by a law enforcement agency, the commission’s investigation can be delayed so it doesn’t interfere with law enforcement. “In this case, we had to wait for other factors,” Beane said. She added that McElligott initially requested a hearing, but the case was settled before the hearing. Heidi Sipe, the Umatilla School District superin- tendent, also serves on the TSPC. While she recused herself from the McElligott case, Sipe said her district has very specific policies on inappropriate teacher-student relationships intended to prepare a student for a future sexual relationship — also known as grooming. “In the handbook, it shows that state law requires all school districts to provide training on sexual miscon- duct, including grooming,” Sipe said. She added that employees also receive training about how to report behavior they think might constitute sexual misconduct. Sipe said a key point in preventing this kind of inci- dent is having staff recognize what grooming looks like, in order to raise alarm about it. Dirk Dirksen, the super- intendent of Morrow County School District, said the district does a lot of training and professional develop- ment about the practice. “We stay alert and ask people to report it,” he said. “We investigate. Every time we get a report we do an investigation and turn it in — but the process is slow.” –—— Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at 541-564- 4534 or jramakrishnan@ eastoregonian.com Wednesday, March 1, 2017 ROADS: Projects won’t happen without state or federal funding Continued from 1A North First Place between Highland Avenue and Elm Avenue. Assistant city manager Mark Morgan told the East Oregonian that the project would include widening the road and adding sidewalks, turn lanes and traffic signals where First Place intersects with Highland and Orchard avenues. When school gets out for the day and during lunch rush, both intersec- tions are highly congested — sometimes to the point that they block emergency vehicles trying to leave the fire station. The city would also like to extend Gettman Road on the south side of town, connecting it to Highway 395. The road currently ends at First Place, but extending it would create another path to the highway and relieve congestion on Highland Avenue. “As we continue to grow to the south we need to look at how to provide additional connection from Highway 207 to Highway 395,” Morgan said. The project would cost $2.5 million, Morgan said, in addition to the cost of paving the portion of Gettman that already exists. A third major project the city would like to accom- plish using transportation package dollars would be realignment of Harper Road, Geer Road and First Place where they create a confusing three-way stop stretching across the railroad tracks. That would cost $1.5 million. “It’s a mess,” Morgan said of the intersection. “But obviously it’s a chal- lenge due to the alignment of the railroad and the roadway.” Other projects on the city’s to-do list include widening 10th Street near Sandstone Middle School and Highland Hills Elementary School for $8 million, building a bridge to connect Punkin Center to Interstate 82 for $15 million, improving Second Street’s connection to Highway 395 near the Hermiston Conference Center for $2 million and developing a new road in the city’s industrial area for $3 million. Those projects won’t happen without state or federal funding. Without state funding the area will also lose three drug detectives on the BENT task force and the entire forensics lab in Pendleton. Hermiston police chief Jason Edmiston said that if the crime lab in Pend- leton closes, forcing law enforcement in Eastern Oregon to use the one in Portland, it will take longer for evidence to travel back and forth from the lab, longer for that evidence to be processed, longer for analysts to come out to testify at trials and longer for them to drive to Eastern Oregon to collect evidence from major crime scenes. “A lot of people already believe justice is slow,” he said. “Stand by if the foren- sics lab closes, because it will get even slower.” Drotzmann said Governor Kate Brown’s proposal to close the lab was an example of her acting against Eastern Oregon. He said if the state takes such a valu- able resource away it will “speak poorly” to lawmakers’ treatment of Oregonians on the eastern side of the state. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. MULTI-MEDIA SALES Great work environment. Super awesome team. Good pay. Retirement plan. Weekends off. Interested? East Oregonian has an opening for multi-media sales. No multi-media experience? That’s fine, as long as you understand the importance of customer service, working hard and a desire to enjoy your job. Could this be you? Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group PO Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 by fax to 503-371-2935 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com Base wage plus commissions, benefits and mileage reimbursement. Benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), insurances and a 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan. March Events! Pendleton Parks and Recreation Presents: Wee Bit O’ Ireland Annual St. Patrick’s Celebration k a e r B g n i r p S n o i t a c Stay- Join us for a great weekend every March in Heppner for “A Wee March 28, 29 29, 30 Xplore Pendleton (K-4th) March 27 15) ) Get Air Tri-Cities Road Trip (7-15) March 31 • 7pm es) Movie Night: “Moana” (all ages) www.pendletonparksandrec.com • 3/12 - Winter Triathlon: 3k ski, 3k run, 3k ski • 3/19 - Taste of Nordic • 3/27-3/31, open daily for Spring Break! for event details and information www.AnthonyLakes.com Bit O’ Ireland” St. Patrick’s Celebration. “Always held the weekend closest to St. Patrick’s Day” (for 2017, March 17-19), you will fi nd lots of activities and events to keep you busy; enjoy the great Irish community and start a new tradition in coming back again and again. The weekend starts with with a 3 on 3 basketball competition on Friday night; Saturday begins with the Sheep Dog Trials, KUMA Coffee Hour, CEILI, Bouncin Leprechauns Fun Zone for Children, Lot of Arts and Crafts on display, Cruz-In Cars on display, Great Green Parade, the Welly toss, just to name a few. The main Saturday evening entertainment will be “The Gothard Sisters” and the”Old Time Fiddlers”. All entertainment is free to the public due to funds provided by the Morrow County Unifi ed Recreation District. The weekend ends with a “Road Bowling competition! We extend “Caed Mile Failte” (Gaelic meaning 100,000 Welcomes) to all our visitors! You don’t have to be Irish when you come, but you’ll be Irish when you leave! Call the Heppner Chamber for a schedule at 541-676-5536; or email at heppnerchamber@centurytel.net. Check it out online at: “heppnerchamber.com/stpattysday. Join us on Facebook: “Facebook.com/pages/St-Patrick-Celebration- Heppner-Oregon-USA/182932548392756”
