Boards, commissions, committees, and officers of the City shall develop rules, regulations, policies and programs that further this policy, and an individual's citizenship, immigration status, national origin, race, and ethnicity shall have no bearing on an individual's treatment by employees or officers of Framingham agencies or departments.
A. Civic engagement and equitable access.
(1) City employees will serve all residents and City services will be accessible to all residents, unless providing such service is prohibited by state or federal statute, regulation, or court decision.
(2) Given that civic participation encompasses a wide range of formal and informal activities, which can involve political and non-political elements, the City should promote broad community participation among our immigrant and newcomer communities. Residents regardless of immigration status or years in the community should be encouraged to serve on City boards or committees, volunteer and participate in community events, and take on leadership roles in the community. In support of this, bilingual/multilingual City employees should attend public events on behalf of the City whenever possible.
(3) All written communications shall be posted on the City website in a digital format that can be translated into the reader's preferred language. Framingham shall provide information regarding important resident-facing and business-facing services, including official forms and applications, instructions, and announcements, in multiple languages, including but not limited to Spanish and Portuguese, and provide translated materials in other languages upon request whenever reasonably possible.
(4) The City shall designate convenient physical locations and a virtual location that will serve as a repository of information regarding City services and resources that may be helpful for newly arrived immigrants. The information should help connect immigrants with resources for basic services such as health care, child care, food security, housing, and transportation without recommending any one particular resource, and the City shall not be liable for any recommendations on resources for basic services in the community. Online resource information provided shall be provided in a digital format that can be translated into the reader's preferred language.
B. Public safety. Nothing in this article shall be construed to violate any valid federal or state law or to prohibit any City of Framingham official, agency or department from providing another law enforcement agency with information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any person consistent with 8 U.S.C. §
1373.
(1) The City of Framingham and the Framingham Police Department (FPD) and Framingham Fire Department (FFD) are committed to promoting safety and providing proactive community policing services to all people in our community. In support of the FPD's community policing philosophy, all community members, including residents and all other stakeholders, are encouraged to seek and obtain police assistance and protection regardless of their citizenship and/or immigration status.
(2) Enforcing federal immigration law is not the mission of the FPD. Accordingly, it is not appropriate for a member of the FPD to investigate a person's immigration status if the sole purpose is to determine a person's immigration status to facilitate a person's detention, deportation, or removal by ICE.
(3) Consistent with the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts decision in Lunn v. Commonwealth (2017), no person will be arrested or held by the FPD solely on the basis of a federal civil immigration detainer, beyond the time that the person would otherwise be entitled to be released from state custody.
C. Framingham public schools.
(1) No employee of the Framingham public schools (FPS) shall require a student, parent, legal guardian or caretaker to provide information regarding their immigration or citizenship status to establish the student's residency in the district for enrollment purposes. If such information becomes known to an employee of the Framingham public schools, such information shall not be kept or distributed and shall have no bearing on the student's ability to register for school or the school's treatment of that student. Information collected regarding the place of birth for the purpose of providing students with appropriate services shall be used only by FPS employees for that purpose and not distributed further.
(2) The FPS website shall be provided in a digital format that can be translated into the reader's preferred language.
(3) FPS will approach special education with an equity lens and understanding of the complexities of neurodivergence in emerging bilingual students.
(4) FPS will incorporate an introduction to civic participation as an immigrant to its civics curricula across the grade levels.
(5) FPS will utilize culturally appropriate means of communication to engage immigrant communities, including non-English radio stations, immigrant-published newspapers, and social media platforms. FPS will collaborate with community leaders in immigrant communities, including religious leaders. FPS will maintain and seek to establish partnerships with immigrant-serving organizations including the Brazilian-American Center (BRACE), Super Parents online support group, Pelham Lifelong Learning Center, and others.
(6) FPS will maintain a commitment to hiring staff, including district leadership, who reflect the immigrant communities and will make a specific effort to recruit and retain FPS graduates who are immigrants. In order to promote employee understanding of Framingham's immigrant communities, the district will continue to partner with consulates, embassies, and professional exchange programs and to provide professional development for teachers. Administrator professional development will promote cultural competency and/or humility among school staff, including building leadership, counselors, and social workers.
D. Economic resources. The Planning and Community Development Division and related multiple-member bodies shall provide, on request, printed educational materials about City zoning regulations, construction permit requirements, and new project applications in multiple languages, including but not limited to Spanish and Portuguese, and provide translated materials in other languages upon request whenever possible. Any digital content posted on the City website shall be provided in a digital format that can be translated into the reader's preferred language. In addition, this Division shall offer support to immigrant small businesses and business associations and promote financial education for our immigrant communities with an emphasis on innovative practices.
E. Compliance. Suggestions, ideas or complaints regarding this policy should be sent to the Citizen Participation Officer. The Citizen Participation Officer should work free of any interference, working independently to compile responses to individual comments in accordance with applicable law.