Opinion
By Dave Scott, 1-20-23
Illegal immigrants in Nassau County enrolling their kids in Nassau County public schools can do so without worry or cost says Biden’s U.S. Department of Education.
In fact, the Nassau county School System says it has no idea how many illegals may be enrolled in its school system and it has no way of finding out it says. Oh, and local taxpayers are on the hook for their education and there’s not a darn thing tax-paying residents or the school system can do about it.
It’s not the Nassau County School Board’s fault. It’s the Biden administration’s intent. Here’s word-for-word what Biden’s Department of Education has to say to American tax-paying folks distressed by this situation:
“Here’s what you need to know about the right to a public education for students who are not U.S. citizens:
- A State may not deny access to public education to any child residing in the State, including children who are not citizens and do not have immigration documentation. The Supreme Court made this clear nearly forty years ago in a case called Plyler v. Doe.
- School districts may not bar students from enrolling in public elementary and secondary schools based on the citizenship or immigration status of the student or their parent or guardian.
- School districts may not request information about the citizenship or immigration status of students or their families with the purpose or result of denying them access to educational opportunities.
- Students who are English learners have a right to appropriate language assistance services, and parents and guardians have a right to receive communications from their children’s school in a language they can understand.”
I’m not making any of this up, really. To see the entire document, go here https://blog.ed.gov/2021/07/students-immigration-status-and-the-right-to-public-education/
I’ve been a property owner in Fernandina Beach for more than 20 years and don’t resent paying school taxes despite never having a child in the school system. Nassau County schools are excellent. Good schools add value to property. However, I do resent paying taxes for people who are here illegally and are receiving benefits many American citizens don’t and can’t receive.
For example, anyone who has seen the images of busloads of illegal immigrants arriving in New York City can testify that something has gone terribly wrong. Illegals fresh from a swim across the Rio Grande River are greeted by city officials with gift bags, hugs, handshakes, atta boy’s, etc. in what looks like a receiving line at an official government welcoming reception. Despite his welcoming committees, even Democrat New York Mayor Eric Adams said he has had enough. He’s been to the border, saw the uncontrolled flow of illegals, and pleaded in vain for Biden to enforce the country’s immigration laws. The city can’t handle anymore he says.
Biden’s response has been: “Screw you, the illegal aliens have priority, and your tax money will pay for their housing, transportation, food, education and more.”
I spoke to Mark Durham, who is listed on the Nassau County School Board website as Assistant Superintendent of Schools, and he told me in so many words that local authorities hands are tied, and they have no way of telling how many “illegals” are enrolled here. Even if they did there’s nothing they can do about it. “We’re not even allowed to ask,” he said.
He did admit that there has been an increase in enrollment for students listed as “homeless,” a category that could possibly include illegals, however there is no way to verify that as the schools aren’t permitted to ask.
There has also been an increase in the number of teachers and bilingual teaching assistants the system has to employ to assist kids who don’t speak English. Since English is commonly spoken hereabouts that may be another indication that our school system is being populated by illegal aliens, but the feds warn: “Don’t ask”.
I’ve been contacted by parents and teachers telling me their schools are seeing more and more illegals and it is becoming a burden. One parent said her daughter and her friends are convinced that an alleged 14-year-old Spanish speaker is at least 20 and the girls are frightened of him. Teachers complain that the non-English speakers take valuable teaching time away from their English-speaking students. None of them want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
The economic and social costs of Biden’s open border policy are tearing the country apart. The social costs of deadly drugs, violent criminals, terrorists, and Covid spreaders are the worst public safety issue since World War II. The unchecked avalanche of Biden’s illegals is overwhelming the economic resources of local communities. More than five million have poured across the southern border since he was inaugurated with more than 250,000 last December alone. Biden’s lies about it continue unabated.
The new Republican controlled House of Representatives is taking action to put an end to this with The House Oversight committee scheduling its first hearing to probe the Biden administration over the border crisis.
The committee announced Thursday, January 19, that it had called upon several southern Border Patrol sector chiefs and requested documents directly from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the administration’s “role in undermining” border security efforts.
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed the Biden administration over its abject failure to address illegal immigration, especially in the Florida Keys. He has signed an executive order activating the Florida National Guard and is directing state law enforcement agencies to respond to “the alarming influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys.”
In the meantime, local folks can help by not voting for Democrats at any level as they are the ones who perpetuate this illegal, expensive and dangerous open border.
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Wait! What? While I was navigating the Nassau County School System site an all caps item in red jumped out at me. It reads: “WARNING, OBSCENE OR HARASSING PHONE CALLS ARE IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATUTE 365.16.” Why is that there? Have people been making threats to local schools, board members or teachers? If so let’s publicly identify and prosecute them?
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Things I Wish I’d Asked: “Does anyone know on which page of the Bible it explains how to turn water into wine?” – Anonymous.
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Poll Pollution: The last poll posted here was skewed by more than 346 suspicious “no” votes.
The poll asked readers: “Do you want the newly aligned Fernandina Beach City Commission to embark on a series of budgetary restraints, property tax reductions, budget restrictions, hiring freezes etc. – Yes or No? Some 389 “No” votes were registered with 189 voting “Yes” for a total vote count of 578. The most total votes for any previous poll was 256 in April 2021.
In the early stages poll results were some 75% “Yes”, the rest “No”. Then it suddenly and mysteriously flipped overnight.
We investigated and discovered the poll results were manipulated in the “No” category by three people with access to large numbers of email addresses, possibly within a local company or organization. We have identified those sources and IP addresses and blocked them. We are adding additional security measures and will pursue and reveal the identities and sources of the hackers as soon as they are confirmed.
Since the poll became meaningless following the manipulations it was discontinued and a new one added today.
Unable to utilize logic or a rationale thought process to express and debate their views these people resort to the left’s standard strategy of flagrant dishonesty and cheating. By falsely manipulating a poll they expose themselves as deceitful extremists filled with radicalized fury and hysteria.
It’s amusing that these perpetrators find the commentaries and poll results here so threatening to their distorted beliefs that they resort to fraud and deceit in an attempt to pervert them.
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Speaking Of Losers: Genece Minshew may be one of the sorest losers in the history of Fernandina Beach politics. Following the December election this two-time failure for a City Commission seat whined publicly that she was personally maligned in the last election, thereby leading to her defeat.
More recently she used the city’s unofficial public relations agency, the inappropriately named “Fernandina Observer” an online sight-impaired pretend news outlet to share another lengthy whine, complaining that the elections are NOT nonpartisan and changes need to be made.
She was joined by another whining lefty, Arlene Filkoff, a former Commissioner and Mayor, who at one time appeared to be in full control of her reasoning faculties but has apparently fallen into the same vat of sour grapes as Minshew.
Both are against the current city Commission suggestion to changes the date of the City’s general and runoff elections to coincide with the state primary and general election dates, a move that would save money (Up to $30,000) and generate more voter turnout.
These gals say moving the election would be confusing to voters who may mistake it for a Republican primary, closed to other parties. Well, they are Democrats, so naturally any simple productive change would tend to confuse them.
Minshew and Filkoff say it would only generate more Republican turnout. In a community where the majority of registered voters are Republican that seems logical no matter when the election is held. But logic doesn’t enter into the equation with these two.
Minshew, who was actually endorsed by the local Democrat Club that also distributed her campaign materials, complained immediately following the election that her opponent boasted that the local Republican party endorsed him. He didn’t and it didn’t. A Tallahassee-based Republican political action committee (PAC) sent campaign literature out locally urging voters to cast their ballot for Darron Ayscue (Minshew’s opponent) and James Antun (who defeated former Mayor and the other whiney loser, Mike Lednovich). Neither of the winning candidates created, issued, or paid for the PAC’s mailings. Minshew has never explained her Democrat party endorsement.
In the Observer’s comment section following her suggestion Minshew takes it even a step further saying, “Move elections to the spring and make them ALL vote by mail.” WOW!
Says Minshew in her comment: “If you want a true nonpartisan election, move the city elections back to the spring and keep the 4-year cycle. Then make city elections all vote by mail. Will save $$ and give city voters a clear picture. This was already done successfully for the charter amendments in 2020.”
What Minshew and Filkoff really want to do is suspend the First Amendment rights for certain folks. If you’re a Republican and voice your support for a candidate in a nonpartisan election “SHUT UP” they scream. Minshew carries it even further requesting an unprecedented “force ‘em to vote by mail”, a procedure notorious for its problems and cheating.
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Gas Emissions: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) proved this week that yes, she really is as dumb as she sounds, in fact, even dumber, when she railed against gas stoves saying that they cause cognitive issues.
Former White House physician and now Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-TX), responded saying: “@aoc says gas stoves cause ‘reduced cognitive performance’ – yet she uses a gas stove?” Jackson wrote. “Is this a self-diagnosis? AOC, as a medical doctor, I can tell you this: what’s wrong with your head IS NOT caused by stoves. Something WAY BIGGER is causing your decreased cognitive function!”
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Drinking, Dining & Dancing: The past two Thursdays I accompanied a couple of pals to the recently opened 3rd Street South Hofbrau Amelia German Pub & Biergarten, across the street from the Green Turtle and Florida House. We weren’t disappointed with the beers and the attentive service by personable buxom bardame Bella, in an appropriate form-fitting dirndl. We haven’t sampled the entire menu, but did try the large $10 tasty Bavarian pretzel, which came with mustard and melted cheese. We also ordered the $17 “Charcuterie Board”, a plate we will probably not try again as it contained bland rubbery cheese cubes that tasted like something the Chamber of Commerce ordered from Publix and would serve to their unsuspecting members and one of the meats had the consistency of a jackboot. However, we did observe a number of folks ordering a variety of sausages including bratwurst, knackwurst, and weisswurst, and enjoying them with enthusiasm. The next time we may try the three-sausage ($16) German sausage plate. There are also sides of sauerkraut, red cabbage, German potato salad, cucumber salad and more. Schnitzel ($21) and Sauerbraten ($23) are also listed. Customers can sit inside or out. The only thing missing was an oom-pah band. I hope they do well as it’s an inviting fun atmosphere with friendly service, that should succeed with a few minor tweaks. As far as I know it is the only place in town with German food and authentic German beers ranging from Hecker-Pschorr and Warsteiner to Konig Ludwig and Schofferhofer and more, most on tap and others in bottles. A variety of non-German brews and wines are also available. Prost!
Republished with the author’s permission. Read The Dave Scott Blog– subscribe Free
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
