How San Diego schools plan to protect students from immigration enforcement

Driving the news: The school district's board adopted a resolution last month, saying the district will not assist ICE in the "enforcement of federal civil immigration law" and won't allow access to its facilities or personnel unless officers have a warrant.

• District officials sent a memo to staff in December and again this week detailing how to respond to ICE authorities per its 2021 policy, including if agents show up at schools.
• The district also created a website with information and resources about immigration rights, LGBTQ+ support and contact information for community organizations.

Zoom in: SD Unified's policy says it won't share student information with ICE "without parental consent, a court order, or judicial subpoena."

• District resources and data won't be used to compile a list, registry or database of individuals based on national origin or immigration status.
• ICE officers must also identify themselves and register when entering school grounds, and school police, legal services or the superintendent will be notified. But staff should not try to physically stop agents.
• The policy also advises students and families to update emergency contact information, provide alternative contacts (which don't need to be family members) and know where important documents are in case someone is detained or deported.

The intrigue: Chula Vista Elementary School District, La Mesa-Spring Valley and South Bay Union school districts will follow their existing policies, which are similar to San Diego Unified's.

• Axios reached out to several other local school districts about their policies and procedures regarding immigration enforcement, but they did not respond by the time of publication.

By the numbers: Thousands of migrant students have joined San Diego County schools in the past few years, inewsource reported.

• About 6% of students — or 5,700 — at San Diego Unified were "newcomers" this school year, meaning they've been enrolled in a U.S. school for less than three years.
• In California, about 12% of K-12 students had at least one undocumented parent, as of 2021.

What they're saying: It's "unlikely" Trump's actions so far will directly impact students, but "If anything, other than our standard policies are required, we will take action," SD Unified interim superintendent Fabi Bagula said in an emailed statement to Axios.

• In the memo to staff, district officials said they "recognize the existing and potential future increased threats" posed to immigrant students, families and staff and "want to remind everyone of their rights and responsibilities and provide guidance on the proper procedures to appropriately address these issues when they arise."

Zoom out: California lawmakers are considering two bills that aim to keep federal agents from detaining undocumented students or their families on or near school property without a warrant, CalMatters reported.

• "In no way can these bills override federal law," Kevin Johnson, a law professor at UC Davis told CalMatters. "But the bills respond to a great concern in the community that it's not safe to take your children to school. … I can't emphasize enough how important this is, how vulnerable undocumented immigrants feel right now."
• California law already prohibits schools from collecting information or documents regarding citizenship or immigration status of students or their family members, except as required by state or federal law.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Chula Vista.