Albuquerque Public Schools make immigration questions for parents optional after criticism

Following a public outcry, Albuquerque Public Schools announced Friday it would make it an option for parents to answer questions on their student’s registration form about if their child was born in the United States and the amount of time they’ve attended school in the country.

APS spokesperson Phill Casaus said Friday that district officials added an “I Choose Not To Answer” option on those questions on the online 2025-26 school year registration form.

The change came in response to some parents who argued during Wednesday’s APS Board of Education meeting that the questions were illegal, contradicted district policies and would harm immigrant families. Board members said during the meeting they would not change the form because it is an administrative issue.

Casaus wrote in an email to the Journal Friday that the immigrant-related questions were outlined to districts throughout the state a year ago to begin implementation for the 2026-27 school year. He emphasized the questions are not connected to “current events or executive orders” from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Despite the requirement, Casaus wrote that the district understands “the concerns that have been raised by members of our community given what’s happening at the national level” and decided to make the questions optional.

“Our top priority is making sure students feel comfortable and safe at school,” Casaus wrote.

He also said the immigrant-related questions were “mandated” by the New Mexico Public Education Department for the purposes of distributing Title III funds — federal money that goes to school districts to support students who have been in the U.S. no more than three years. APS receives around $1.5 million annually in Title III funding, but that figure is likely dependent on enrollment numbers, Casaus said.

The revised registration form, which Casaus shared with the Journal, notes that the immigrant-related questions help the district get Title III funds. The form also said the questions only focus on where and when a student went to school “and have nothing to do with a student’s immigration status.” Answers to the questions will only be shared with PED and no other agencies outside APS, the form said.

In response to Casaus’ statement, New Mexico Public Education Department spokesperson Janelle Garcia wrote in an email Friday that the agency had simply recommended that districts include a yes or no question to determine whether students were born in the U.S. or a U.S. territory — a recommendation that came following a 2023 review by the U.S. Department of Education.

Since 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act has mandated a question regarding whether a student was born in the U.S. for Title III purposes, Garcia said. She did not know if APS could stand to lose Title III funding based on making some registration form questions optional.

Both APS’ and PED’s comments come following a public comment period during Wednesday’s APS Board of Education meeting, in which several people brought up the questions on the registration form. Maria Hamilton, a Zia Elementary School parent, said during the meeting that she was “shocked” and “dismayed” at the question on the registration form asking whether a student was born in the U.S.

“This question has no place in the APS registration process and must be removed or made optional,” Hamilton said.

Including the question “will almost certainly ... decrease enrollment and ... create additional and unnecessary fear in families,” she said.