All students and their families should feel safe at school. Since taking office, the Trump-Vance administration and their billionaire allies have been deliberately terrorizing immigrant communities – making our neighbors terrified to send their children to school. At the same time, they are attempting to dismantle the Department of Education – sending a clear message that their ultimate goal is to privatize our schools and strip all young people of their fundamental right to public education. Now more than ever, educators, school staff, and school board members must use their power to maintain safe learning environments for every child, no matter where they were born.
What Schools Can Do
To keep our schools safe, our school communities need to know how to exercise their power. Here are key actions you can take to provide targeted support for immigrant-origin students and families, along with accompanying step-by-step guidance from trusted partners and school leaders around the country.
→ Protect All Children’s Right To Public Education.
Federal law guarantees every child, regardless of immigration status, the right to attend public school. Schools should not collect unnecessary information, such as students’ or parents’ immigration status, that could discourage enrollment. Learn more about Plyler v. Doe and how to make sure all families, regardless of immigration status, can establish age and residency during enrollment.
→ Craft a School Plan to Support Students Impacted by Immigration Enforcement
The Trump-Vance administration has revoked the “sensitive locations” policy that limited immigration enforcement in schools, granting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents broad authority to take enforcement actions in and near schools. In a school setting, these officers may attempt to enter school grounds to investigate, speak with, or detain a student, or request access to school records, data, or specific areas. Federal immigration law enforcement agents may also work in conjunction with other federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies when carrying out these enforcement actions.
Schools should have clear, updated protocols to respond to law enforcement presence– and train all district and school staff, including external partners that work in schools such as crossing guards, bus drivers, and after-school program providers. Here are step-by-step guiding questions for you to use to either a) review and strengthen existing protocols, or b) craft clear protocols.
Here are sample policies from jurisdictions across the country, including statewide guidance by the California Attorney General, New York City Department of Education, and Chicago Public Schools. Such “safe zone” or “sanctuary” policies help ensure schools remain protected areas for all students.
→ Safeguard Student Privacy
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), schools cannot release student records to immigration authorities without parental consent or a subpoena. However, directory information—such as names and addresses—can be shared unless families opt out. Schools should proactively:
- Review what student data is collected and stored, and ensure that schools are not asking for and recording immigration status.
- Revise the directory to ensure it does not list students’ place of birth.
- Inform families of their right to opt out of directory disclosures.
- Ensure staff understand privacy protections and do not respond to requests for information by immigration authorities without having legal counsel review the officers’ subpoena.
→ Help Students, Families, and School Communities Know Their Rights
Families and students can better protect themselves by being aware of their legal rights in case of an immigration enforcement action. Schools can:
- Hold Know Your Rights workshops (English / Spanish) virtually and in person for your school staff, the student body, and school community.
- Distribute printable Know Your Rights cards in commonly spoken languages to families.
- Connect families with trusted legal resources in your locality.
→ Support Families in Creating a Preparedness Plan
In case of a sudden enforcement action, families should have a concrete plan in place in case one or both parents are detained. Such a plan might include: who will take care of children, what important documents to gather and copy, and how you will share them; and Know Your Rights information. Schools can:
- Encourage all families to add a relative or close family friend to be added as an authorized adult who can pick up their child from school.
- Share emergency preparedness guides with all families.
Photo from Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
