K-12 schools across the U.S. are preparing for possible measures to protect their students as the fresh Trump administration sets its sights on deporting millions of people.
Administrators and teachers unions are eager to build relationships and provide resources for students and families without legal status as President-elect Trump has promised the largest mass deportation in history and announced the end of policies banning immigration raids on schools and places of worship.
School officials and advocates ensure that staff understand immigrant students’ rights to privacy and know how to address other issues that may arise, such as: B. lack of attendance requirements, as undocumented families fear the worst.
Trump’s fresh “border czar” has announced that he intends to do so Revitalizing family detention centersand that Transitional homes may be required for children with US citizenship whose parents do not have US citizenship.
“I don’t know what [Trump’s] The real agenda will be until he gets in, but I can tell you this: He’s scaring the hell out of a lot of kids who are just here trying to make it,” said Todd Quarnberg, principal of Herriman High School in Utah. There has been an influx of students with a migration background here in recent years.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented students attend public schools across the U.S., and many more are U.S. citizens with undocumented parents who could end up without guardians or in legal limbo if Trump follows through on his promises.
While Trump reportedly wants to allow Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids on schools, undocumented immigrants have the same privacy protections as other students, even when the agency enters a facility.
School administrators and staff are not allowed to reveal a student’s immigration status.
“Schools are often the first people a student tells about their undocumented status, and that is done out of trust,” said Patrick Greene, principal of Greene Central High School in North Carolina, who has seen undocumented students reach out to their school for lend a hand asked to get a driver’s license, find a job or apply to study.
“One of the first things we’ve trained all of our staff, guidance counselors and teachers on together is how to maintain that trust” and “how to be an ally and a support and just understand the barriers that these students and their families face.” are.”, he added.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has also announced that staff is undergoing training to prepare for immigration agents.
Much of Trump’s plan requires local and state cooperation, which won’t be effortless in some places.
It’s unlikely ICE will get much lend a hand from sanctuary cities or states like California, where the governor has called a special session to anticipate upcoming moves by the Trump administration.
“I think there are enough government protections in California right now that we couldn’t allow it [ICE] We’re coming to campus to talk to students and I feel like we’re pretty confident about that,” said Mark Anderson, executive director of high schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.
When asked for comment, Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said the fresh president was “charged by the American people to stop the invasion of illegal immigrants, secure the border, and eliminate risky criminals and terrorists who are our… communities to deport.” less certain. He will deliver.”
Republican states are much more likely to cooperate with Trump’s immigration policies, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Calling a special meeting to do exactly that.
However, federal protections for student privacy extend beyond the state to ensure that immigration status cannot be disclosed at school without legal authorization or parental permission.
“When an immigration officer walks into a school, it doesn’t matter where they are. By law, under FERPA, and under student privacy protections, a school district cannot disclose or voluntarily disclose student information,” said Viridiana Carrizales , co-founder and CEO of ImmSchools, a group focused on the intersection of immigration and education .
But as immigration stops and raids enhance, so do absenteeism among undocumented students.
“We have seen students not coming to school after a deportation or even a raid in their community. So we’ve seen that schools are struggling with absenteeism and the lack of engagement and commitment from students and families because they’re afraid,” Carrizales said.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) provides resources for schools to inform educators about the rights of immigrant students and develop plans schools can implement to protect and support undocumented families.
Given the “heightened anxiety + fear” the group is seeing, President Randi Weingarten said on social media, AFT is “updating our resources on immigration – and the AFT will fight to protect working families who love this country and a “Want a chance to do that.” Pursue the American dream.”
Greene, the North Carolina principal, recalled an open house at a school years ago when police set up a licensing checkpoint a few miles away.
“There was a perception in the Latino community that this was done intentionally to get them out and then be scrutinized. And so it took a long time for us to rebuild trust and understanding and so on,” he said.
These types of controls and other actions the Trump administration may take make undocumented students fearful of one day coming home from school without their guardian present.
“In the past we have seen that after a raid, which often takes place at work, usually the next day, hundreds of children miss school because their own parents have been detained and they now have no parent to look after them “,” Carrizales said.
“Even if deportations are not specifically targeted … or schools are not targeted by these mass deportations, we know that regardless of where they occur, the impact will be felt most acutely in our schools,” she added.
A decline in school attendance would occur as chronic absenteeism in schools has become pervasive since the pandemic. The decline in attendance is associated with low academic performance. Research from NWEA last summer showed that eighth graders were a year behind in reading and math.
“Since COVID, attendance has been a big issue, especially at the secondary level, making sure students are engaged and participating,” Anderson said.
“We can’t ignore federal policy because it plays such a big role in what we do, but we can’t get so caught up in it that we no longer have the ability to provide these services to children,” he added .
