Massachusetts teachers prepare as ICE eyes schools
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Educators across Massachusetts are mobilizing, learning immigration policies and familiarizing themselves with their students' rights now that President Trump is authorizing federal agents to enter schools.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's decision to rescind a policy that bars agents from entering "sensitive locations" — namely, schools, churches and hospitals — has sparked fear among schoolchildren and their families, school officials say.
Catch up quick: School districts across Massachusetts have started sending letters home explaining they will follow student privacy laws.
- They include not asking students about immigration status or sharing student information with federal authorities without a judicial warrant.
The latest: Educators are also reading up on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement playbook and sharing resources students and their parents can use to prepare for the possibility of being detained, teacher unions say.
What they're saying: "There's a reason why schools… are supposed to be protected: because we want to make sure that our students, regardless of immigration status, are going to school and receiving the education," says Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts.
- The AFT is holding a nationwide webinar about immigration enforcement Thursday for teachers.
Zoom in: Some school districts have trained principals and shared information internally, while others have teachers undergoing Know Your Rights workshops from local immigrant advocacy groups.
- In Chelsea, where nearly half of residents are born outside the U.S., teachers are connecting parents with community organizations to come up with emergency plans in case families are separated, says Kathryn Anderson, president of the Chelsea Teachers' Union.
- Worcester Public Schools warned bus drivers not to drop off students if ICE agents are at a bus stop.
- Boston Public Schools, where roughly half of students speak a language other than English at home, declined to comment on how teachers and staff are responding to the policy change.
The other side: Some states, such as Oklahoma, are embracing the policy change.
- The Oklahoma School Board approved a rule requiring K-12 schools to collect families' immigration statuses when enrolling children.
- The Florida Department of Education said it would cooperate with the Trump administration, but school officials in Miami reminded principals to follow student privacy laws.
Reality check: Federal law bars K-12 schools from releasing students' personal information, notes Sophia Rodriguez, an education professor at NYU Steinhardt.
- Schools are protected by the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which requires schools to provide a free public education to any child, regardless of immigration status.
- Massachusetts' student records regulations also bar schools from releasing students' personal information to federal authorities without a judicial warrant in most cases, per Attorney General Andrea Campbell's recent guidance.
Yes, but: That doesn't mean immigration authorities won't try to conduct enforcement actions at Massachusetts schools.