In a move to meet the needs of a “new Nevada,” Brian Sandoval, the state’s governor, signed a bill that would allow immigrants with temporary legal status to get a teaching license. Among those standing by as Governor Sandoval signed the dotted lines was Uriel Garcia, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and, as it turns out, a future teacher to students with journeys similar to his own.
“I want to give back to the community that gave me so much,” Garcia said. And with an impending teacher shortage in the state, he added that the new bill was poised to address this challenge head-on. “We’re going to have people who are bilingual teachers, and ultimately people who just want to do the right thing for the United States,” Garcia concluded.
The measure will directly affect DREAMERs and other immigrants who wield permits granted through the DACA program, transitioning away from the previous law which only allowed for teaching permits to be given to non-citizens with work permits, for a subject that person can teach, in the event of a teacher shortage. And while it is still uncertain just how many individuals this new effort will benefit, the change is framed by proponents as one that will yield a more diverse palette of educators.
“These laws that prohibit non-citizens from getting licensed come from another era, another time, when many states were hostile to Germans, Catholics, Irish,” Sylvia Lazos, vice chair of the Latino Leadership Council, said. “Modern Nevada is not protectionist, not anti-immigrant, not anti-foreigner. It’s a wonderful day for Nevada to affirm that.”
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