Valley school districts explain policies regarding new federal immigration rules

Valley school districts explain policies regarding new federal immigration rules

After the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded a policy stopping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from making arrests at sensitive locations — like churches and schools — concern and uncertainty spread across the Valley.

However, as ICE conducted an operation targeting people in the country illegally with criminal records here, no such activity was readily apparent at local school districts.

Now, officials with school districts are speaking out about their policies regarding any potential ICE activity. In numerous statements, school districts said they are prioritizing student safety, their well-being and education while also applying with all applicable federal and state laws.

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Those sentiments were shared by the McAllen, Mission, Sharyland, Donna, Edcouch-Elsa, La Joya, Point Isabel and Rio Grande City Grulla school districts.

Additionally, Sharyland ISD Superintendent Elaine Howard shared in an update to the district Tuesday that area superintendents met with representatives from U.S. Border Patrol, ICE and DHS to discuss the executive orders issued and their impact on school districts.

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Howard stated in the update that information was shared to alleviate fears about what students and the community may hear.

The Sharyland super said that agencies are not raiding schools or churches and are not entering campuses in search of undocumented students. Law enforcement will enter a campus if they are pursuing any known criminal who attempts to hide inside a school building.

“This has always been the case,” Howard said in the update. “Any person entering our schools without permission violates our safety procedures and the law, regardless of their immigration status.”

The update also notes that agencies are not asking schools or churches to identify individuals without legal status in the U.S.

If a student’s parent/guardian is taken into custody and if law enforcement is made aware of that child who may be left without supervision, efforts will be made to place the child with a family member or Child Protective Services (CPS). If the child/minor has legal status to be in the country, they will not be arrested or deported with their parents.

Howard encouraged parents to update their child’s emergency contact information in case of any situation, if the school district is unable to contact the parent or emergency contact, it will have to notify CPS.

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Donna confirmed in a statement that as of last Friday that they have not received any direct information indicating any enforcement actions in or near campuses. The district said that should law enforcement, including ICE or CBP come to a campus, staff have strict protocols to safeguard student privacy and to ensure all actions are handled appropriately.

The statement noted that student records and personal information are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, meaning law enforcement seeking access to non-public areas of a campus or who request student information must provide legal documentation which will be reviewed by district administration and legal counsel before any action is taken.

Campus principals and designated administrators serve as primary points of contact for any law enforcement interactions to ensure compliance with district policies and legal requirements.

Statements from the McAllen, Mission, Edcouch-Elsa, La Joya, Point Isabel and Rio Grande City Grulla school districts were all similar in nature to the Donna and Sharyland statements.

The La Joya school district statement also noted the district recognizes the emotional toll these new federal policies may have on families and have provided campus staff with guidance for navigating the topics with students and adults and resources for how to respond to various situations.

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All the school districts also stated that they will closely monitor developments in regard to immigration at the state and federal level.

The Brownsville and Roma school districts declined to comment.

The Harlingen, South Texas ISD, PSJA, Weslaco and Edinburg school districts didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The post Valley school districts explain policies regarding new federal immigration rules appeared first on MyRGV.com.

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