What Northwest Arkansas schools are saying amid ICE crackdowns
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Northwest Arkansas schools are reminding parents and employees of their policies in light of recent concerns that immigration officers could show up.
State of play: Immigration officials can raid churches and schools to arrest undocumented immigrants after the Trump administration scrapped a policy that protected sensitive spaces, Axios' April Rubin writes.
Context: Officials have not provided clear details on what may prompt them to arrest someone at a school, but a White House spokesperson told NBC News that enforcement on school or church grounds will be "extremely rare" and the revised policy isn't a directive for ICE to target such locations, Axios' Avery Lotz writes.
- Yes, but: Heightened anxiety amid the administration's immigration crackdown has triggered dips in school attendance nationwide.
The big picture: School districts around the country have varied on their responses — like the Florida Department of Education saying it it would cooperate with "all law enforcement working to enforce the nation's laws on illegal immigration" and New York directing school officials to not allow law enforcement in without a judicial order or warrant.
What they're saying: "Children may only be checked out of school during the school day by approved individuals or those with legal authority to access the student," Fayetteville Public Schools said in a letter to parents.
- "This may include state or federal officials, but only with authority granted pursuant to a specific statute or through an appropriate court order … Our schools do not provide confidential student information to anyone without parental permission or an order of a court of jurisdiction."
Rogers Public Schools in a letter to parents reiterated that the district does not inquire or maintain records related to immigration status per Plyler v. Doe, the 1982 Supreme Court case that ruled that states cannot deny children education because of their immigration status.
- Plus, immigration officials can only access student records or school grounds with a judicial order.
A Springdale Public Schools spokesperson wrote in an email to Axios that visitors must present identification and children may only be checked out by approved people or those with legal authority to access the student.
- Bentonville Public Schools declined to comment.