Heightened immigration enforcement is spurring dips in student attendance and elevated levels of fear and stress among educators and families, said teachers and civil rights advocates speaking on a press call Thursday hosted by the Century Foundation.
"It's just a scary time, and I'm just doing my best, to make sure that that smile stays on my face, and that I stay strong for my kids and for my local community," said Diana Herrera, a high school teacher from California's Central Valley. "These are human beings" — many of whom "I teach and I love like my own children. And so the threat against them hurts my heart."
Likewise, Alejandra Vázquez Baur, co-founder and director of the National Newcomer Network, a project of the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, said, "This fear is heavy."
The fear "can prevent people from receiving critical social services to which they are entitled under several state and federal laws, regardless of status," said Vázquez Baur. "And this is intentional. It's not about protecting families or making their lives better. This is about exclusion, racism and power.”
These comments come in the wake of the Trump administration's policy change last week removing schools' "protected areas" status in immigration enforcement activities. The action has spread anxiety and uncertainty not only among immigrant families but also in broader school communities, said educators and immigrant advocates.
"And as we do best in times of crisis, we're going to keep kids learning."
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Cheruba Chavez
An English language teacher in New Orleans
In response, many local and state education systems have developed or reissued guidance for school staff to use if and when Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents visit schools.
For instance, San Diego Unified School District issued a statement in English and Spanish on Jan. 22 saying the district "is committed to ensuring everyone in our school communities feel safe, valued, and supported." On Jan. 29, the Connecticut State Department of Education posted guidance urging school districts to use protocols regarding third-party access to information, including directing immigration agents to a designated school official.
In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest school system, officials are sharing a "Know Your Legal Rights" document with the community. The document explains people's constitutional rights when approached by immigration authorities and includes a family preparation checklist.
Much of the state and local guidance reminds school administrators that, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, school districts must maintain the confidentiality of all personally identifiable information in education records related to students. Guidance also highlights the legal documentation school officials need to see when immigration agents conduct enforcement activities on campuses.
Questioning immigration status
But while some states and districts are sharing practices to protect and support immigrant families, the Oklahoma State Board of Education on Tuesday approved administrative rules that the Oklahoma State Department of Education says will strengthen accountability and enforce "national values."
The rules, which need approval from the state Legislature and governor, would require teachers to take a test based on the U.S. Naturalization Test — an assessment on U.S. government and civics and the English language — and require parents to show proof of U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status when enrolling their children in schools.
That proof of citizenship "will help educators better understand and address the needs of their student populations and provide important insight into how to best budget and allocate important resources," according to a statement from the education department.
Nicholas Espíritu, deputy legal director at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement that the Oklahoma rule to prove citizenship is "a clear attempt to instill terror in communities across the state.”
"Requiring school districts to prove parents’ citizenship illegally chills access to this opportunity and interferes with schools’ ability to focus on their core mission: to educate children and give all students the ability to grow, thrive, and participate fully in our democracy," Espíritu said.
Immigration advocates are also reminding school systems and families that any deterrent to school attendance infringes on the right to a free public education established under the U.S. Supreme Court 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe. That ruling said states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education based on their immigration status.
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Added trauma
As educators and civil rights advocates seek out resources, Cheruba Chavez, an English language teacher in New Orleans, said her advice for fellow teachers and school administrators is to make sure student contact information is up to date and that area districts collaborate in case students transfer between districts.
"Then we'll call our absent students, tell them we miss them, hope to see them tomorrow," Chavez said. "And as we do best in times of crisis, we're going to keep kids learning."
Viridiana Carrizales, founder of ImmSchools, a grassroots organization that helps immigrants know their legal rights, said some school districts aren't distributing resources for immigrant families for fear of drawing unwanted attention to their communities.
"Districts specifically are grappling with this growing tension of navigating the national and state-level pressures with their ability to uphold policies that protect and support all of our students," Carrizales said.
ICE did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether agents had conducted immigration enforcement action at preschools, K-12 schools or college campuses since the Trump administration issued the change to protected areas last week ending the practice of immigration agents avoiding "sensitive" areas.
The administration said it made the change to ensure "criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest," according to a Jan. 21 statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In addition to schools and colleges, the policy also removed hospitals and churches from protected area status.
ICE has since arrested alleged criminals who are unauthorized immigrants in Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco and other cities, but none appear to have been conducted on school campuses.
In San Diego, Afira DeVries, president and CEO of the Monarch School Project, said the school is trying to balance the realities of immigration enforcement with ensuring a safe environment for students.
"What it comes down to for us is what it means to be a safe environment" where families feel safe and where students can learn, DeVries said. "That's a really big challenge and a really big question."
The Monarch School is the nation's only K-12 public school for students experiencing homelessness. The combination of students' housing instability, the threat of wildfires in the area, and increased immigration enforcement is taking an emotional toll on the school's students, families and staff, DeVries said.
"Any one of us who are American citizens should probably take a second to think about what it would feel like to know that their kid is going to school and they may not see them again, or they may end up facing some sort of really horrible measure of separation just because they were trying to get access to an educational environment," DeVries said.
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She added that the Monarch School has strong partnerships with the San Diego County Office of Education and community groups that are providing guidance on responding to immigration officials at school.
The organizations are providing clarity on what schools have the right to do and what they are obligated to do during enforcement actions, so the school can "make sure that we're living to those expectations with a focus on centering the needs of our students and their families," DeVries said.
What states and districts are telling staff and families
The National Newcomer Network expects the immigration policy change will increase the likelihood of armed ICE officers conducting raids in and around schools, child care centers, playgrounds and other spaces youth gather. This will cause "a chilling effect in immigrant communities that could prevent them from receiving critical social services to which they are entitled under several state and federal laws," it said in a Jan. 22 statement.
The organization has about 300 members including teachers, district administrators and state education officials. In a policy guide to help school administrators protect immigrant students and families, the group emphasizes early preparation — including training and communication of protocols for responding to on-campus immigration agents.
The network's Vázquez Baur said the group is tracking changes in policies and practices at the local level and will continue to release best practices.
Other school-centered resources have been shared by districts, state agencies and local, state and national advocacy groups. The resources offer recommendations for procedures to follow if immigration authorities visit schools, as well as social and emotional supports and consideration for school communities. Groups and agencies providing such resources include: