‘We need to protect all our kids’ Castle High teacher says
Updated: July 18, 2025
A proposal submitted by an Oʻahu high school English teacher was adopted recently by the National Education Associationʻs Representative Assembly to ensure equitable educational opportunities for English language learners and migrant students, regardless of immigrant status.
As a legislative amendment, the measure is now added to the legislative priorities that NEA members and lobbyists use to guide them when they advocate for public school educators and students in Washington, D.C.
Jamie Stidger, an English teacher at Castle High School, submitted the proposal which was adopted by the NEA RA Friday in Portland, Ore.
“The cool thing about the legislative amendment is it’s akin to our contract. It’s there forever until people change it or add to it or delete something,” Stidger said.
Stidger has served on the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association’s Government Relations Committee for nearly two decades. She taught English learners for 18 years at Castle before she switched to teaching English several years ago.
Stidger said her proposal is worthwhile because “It clarified that students in our classrooms, regardless of immigration status, have access to equal opportunities in education and public education.”
“It’s important because the U.S. DOE being cut. The federal DOE was really put in place to ensure that the states follow the laws and ensure civil rights for all of our kids. And as we’ve seen, that’s clearly eroding,” added Stidger.
“We need to protect all our kids. If a kid shows up in my class, I’m gonna teach them, and they should have the same opportunities, and we can’t be discriminating. And these are scary times, and this current administration is looking to discriminate against our kids,” Stidger said.
It took a village to get the proposal approved, she said.
“(HSTA Human and Civil Rights Committee Chair) Jodi (Kunimitsu) helped me get the signatures. Ashley Olson (who is one of five members of the NEA’s Internal Editing Committee for resolutions) helped me figure it out. People from the outside came in and told me to change the wording. It was a group effort, for sure,” said Stidger.
About NEA RA
Every summer, thousands of educators from around the country gather at the National Education Association Representative Assembly to debate and vote on vital issues that impact public education, setting NEA policy and activities for the year ahead.
This year, NEA RA is taking place in Portland, Ore., with almost 7,000 educators from every state in attendance. Click here for the latest updates for this year’s RA.
The NEA is the largest union in the country, and the RA is the world’s largest democratic deliberative assembly.