A12 • news • Thursday, May 21, 2015

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Legal assistance for immigrants offered HAP requesting help funding new program

Two employees of the regional nonprofit Hispanic Affairs Project (HAP) recently became accredited to provide immigration assistance with familybased petitions to low-income families and individuals living in western Colorado. Hispanic Affairs Project employees Marketa Zubkova, of Crested Butte, and Nicole Bernal Ruiz, of Fruita, received legal training over the past two years in preparation for the request for partial accreditation to represent immigrants with family-based petitions. They will begin offering services immediately.  Zubkova, who holds a Master’s Degree from Prescott College and a Bachelor’s Degree from Western State Colorado University, in addition to degrees from her native Czech Republic, has been a HAP leader for nearly a decade. In 2013, she received the eighth annual Immigrant Liberty Awards presented by the Colorado Chapter of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers for her

RE1J testing from A5

305 Sixth St. Downtown Crested Butte www.bighornrealty.com

by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Nearly a dozen bills were introduced by lawmakers this year aimed at addressing various aspects of the testing problem after thousands of Front Range students last fall chose to “opt out,” protesting what they viewed as excessive state-mandated assessment. While House District 61 Rep. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon, herself a former school superintendent, did not sponsor the bill, amid illness and absence of the House Education Committee’s chair in the final weeks of the session, Hamner as vice chair was asked to take the lead on finding a compromise — embodied by HB-1323. “I think part of the problem was as a state we had really overdone it,” she said. “When we started seeing high school students refusing to participate and their parents opting their kids out, I think we went way overboard.” The bill will reduce testing over the course of a student’s K-12 career by nearly 40 hours — a reduction of 26.5 percent. Additional noteworthy provisions include: • eliminating all state-mandated tests in 12th grade; • eliminating state-mandated tests in 11th grade, except for the ACT college entrance exam; • replacing Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing in 10th grade with an

extensive volunteer outreach with H2A range workers.  The women will provide services in Montrose at the HAP office, located at 300 N. Cascade Ave., Suite C-4, and at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Grand Junction, at 790 26.5 Road.

Zubkova

HAP is a grassroots organization serving the immigrant community in six counties in western Colorado, including Mesa, Delta, Montrose, San Miguel, Ouray and Gunnison. HAP programs include: Immigration Legal Assistance (BIA Accredited), Migrant Outreach, Combating Human Trafficking, Welcoming Colorado Initiative, Leadership Development & Community

“I think part of the problem was as a state we had really overdone it. When we started seeing high school students refusing to participate and their parents opting their kids out, I think we went way overboard.” Millie Hamner ACT prep test; • providing more information to parents about federal, state and local assessments and the amount of time their child spends testing; • allowing districts to participate in a two-phase pilot program to implement alternative assessments that could replace statewide testing. While Marta Smith, Gunnison Watershed RE1J School District’s director of special services, applauded lawmakers for eliminating state assessments for grades 10, 11 and 12, she noted that the bill does not address the number of test sessions required for students in grades three through nine. “I believe that the numbers of sessions for those grade levels needs to be reduced,” she said via e-mail. Still, Smith said RE1J will

Organizing, Supporting ProImmigrant Policies and Community Resource Center. The recent approval of HAP’s request for recognition and accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals in the Department of Justice will enable immigrants who cannot afford legal fees to receive qualified representation with immigration applications. HAP leaders say the unauthorized practice of law by people who purport to provide legal assistance but who jeopardize the future of many families is an ongoing problem in the area. Limited financial resources often prevent immigrant families from applying for the immigration benefits for which they may qualify. As a result, the HAP board took steps to found the legal assistance program to address these issues, supporting family unity for many across the region.  HAP has begun representing clients.    Community members are encouraged to support the new program by making a tax-deductible donation to the 501c3 organization. Online donations and more information are available at www.hapgj. org. pursue avenues for using local assessments to meet federal and state requirements, as the bill allows. Another provision of HB-1323 allows districts to provide a paper-and-pencil option for all tests —  an alternative to much beleaguered assessments that previously were required to be taken on a computer. Yet, the option is moot for RE1J, said Smith, because the district has already spent $150,000 on technology allowing for computer-based testing — as the state previously required — in coming years. HB-1323 does, however, address an issue that cropped up locally during a round of PARCC testing in March. Student-athletes at Gunnison High School were informed that those who chose to opt out of the state assessment would be given an “unexcused absence” for the day, which would make them ineligible to compete, in accordance with school policy. The bill ensures that schools and districts don’t impose negative consequences, such as barring participation in extracurricular activities, on students whose parents decide to excuse them from a statewide test. “I think that (districts) need to do everything they can to explain the merits and purpose of the assessments, but if parents want their kids to not participate they should have that right,” Hamner opined. (Will Shoemaker can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or [email protected].)