More attention needs to be paid to Georgia’s “dual enrollment” program and related legislation under the Gold Dome. There’s the real possibility that illegal aliens in high school are taking seats in the University System while avoiding the verification process for “lawful presence” through which the rest of the college applicants are supposed to be screened.
While this writer makes no claim of expertise on the dual enrollment program, if I’m understanding it correctly high school students are taking state-funded college seats– with no cost to the student.
The SAVE program is the default federal tool in state law (OCGA 50-36-1) used to verify eligibility of foreign nationals for a host of public benefits. Post-secondary education is exempted from the verification mandate but USG implemented policy to verify “lawful presence” and the use of the SAVE program in 2010.
Covering legislation dealing with proposed changes to the system in a recent “What to know about Georgia’s dual enrollment bill,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that “supporters of the bill say the program’s costs have skyrocketed in recent years and changes are necessary to make it sustainable. About 52,000 students are currently enrolled in the program.”
Line 52 of the pending HB 444 defines an “eligible student” for dual enrollment but there’s no language that would exclude illegal aliens or that requires any verification process.
Before final action is taken on the bill, more questions should be asked.
Where in the law and the legislation does the dual enrollment system exclude illegal aliens from the very costly program? Where is language that requires the University System of Georgia to use their in-place verification system for dual enrollment students?
Maybe it is already policy, but putting a verification requirement into dual enrollment law should be considered the belt to go with any USG policy suspenders. Maybe the AJC will do an “everything you need to know” expansion piece on this.
If these students are indeed “undocumented,” how can USG verify lawful presence? Below is an explanation of the SAVE program.
SYSTEMATIC ALIEN VERIFICATION FOR ENTITLEMENTS (SAVE)
In some cases, it will not be possible to verify the lawful presence of a non-citizen student using the typical options provided on the USG Verification of Lawful Presence Chart, such as verifying using a U.S. birth certificate, Georgia driver’s license (not limited term), U.S. citizenship paperwork, or based on the student’s confirmed eligibility for federal student aid. In those cases, it may be necessary to use a program provided by the Department of Homeland Security called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements.
The University System of Georgia is admitting that the ‘LIMITED TERM’ driver’s licenses issued by state Department of Driver Services are not reliable indicators of who is and who isn’t an illegal alien. So isn’t it time to reform the dual enrollment program and the system for issuing driving and ID credentials in Georgia?
D.A. King is president of the Dustin Inman Society.
