COLUMBUS — Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has issued instructions to staff outlining what they are expected to do if federal immigration officials turn up at a school seeking to interview or detain a student.
Concerns that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents may show up at schools have grown following the Trump administration’s decision last week to allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at places previously designated as “sensitive locations,” including schools, The Associated Press reported.
Following the policy change, school corporations across the country, including BCSC, have sought to reassure parents that schools continue to be safe places for their children.
“While it is true that schools and other sites recently lost the ‘sensitive location’ designation, BCSC policy 5540 and administrative guideline 5540A discourage law enforcement from interrogating or interviewing students on school grounds,” the message to staff states. “Policy also acknowledges BCSC’s responsibility to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, but we will do so while safeguarding the rights and well-being of all students while they are in our care.”
If an ICE agent visits a BCSC school seeking to interview or detain a student, staff have been instructed to have the agent remain in the front office or conference room, according to the message.
Staff have been instructed to inform the building principal and superintendent’s office and make copies of the agent’s identification and any documentation, including warrants or subpoenas. Building personnel have been instructed to keep notes of the date, time, names of agents and the names or staff members who are the subject of inquiry.
“Do not release student information (including if the student is present in the building) or respond to questions regarding a student’s status, instead refer agents to the principal or Dr. Erin Stalbaum,” the message states. “Inform the officer that a school official will be in touch promptly. If the officer declares that exigent circumstances exist requiring immediate access to the student, comply with the officer and immediately notify your principal.”
Stalbaum is BCSC assistant superintendent for human resources.
A BCSC administrator will communicate with legal counsel to verify the appropriate response and communicate this to the building principal, the message states. If legal counsel determines that law enforcement may interview the student, the student’s parent or guardian must be immediately notified, any interviews should be conducted in a private setting and no school representative should be present during the interview.
“Should a parent be detained but not the student, building personnel should work with building administration to determine the child’s living situation. If there is no formal designation of a guardian or responsible party, (Indiana Department of Child Services) should be notified,” the message states.
Last week’s move by Trump to clear the way for potential arrests at schools reverses guidance that restricted two federal agencies — ICE and Customs and Border Protection — from carrying out enforcement in sensitive locations, The Associated Press reported. In a statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said: “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
Since at least 2011 — including during the first Trump administration — ICE had been following a policy of refraining from making immigration arrests at schools, churches, hospitals, and other designated sensitive locations to prevent deterring people from accessing essential services.
Currently, it is unclear how likely it would be for ICE to visit a school in Columbus, as state lawmakers and local officials have told The Republic that there are “just a few federal immigration enforcement officers throughout the whole state.”
While ICE has not responded to questions from The Republic about how many agents are assigned to Indiana, one local official said earlier this month that there were fewer than five agents statewide in Indiana.
Just days after Trump took office, Chicago Public Schools leaders mistakenly claimed that ICE agents had come to a Chicago elementary school, according to wire reports.
After their initial comments about ICE agents, school officials learned that the agents were from the U.S. Secret Service who were investigating a threat against a government official.
Since the policy change announced last week, several schools nationwide said they were fielding calls from worried parents about rumors that immigration agents would try to enter schools, but it was too early to tell whether large numbers of families are keeping their children home, according to wire reports.
Missing school can deprive students of more than learning. For students from low-income families, including many immigrants, schools are a primary way to access food, mental health services and other support.
Currently, it is not known how many families may be holding children out of BCSC schools, officials said.
BCSC spokesman Josh Burnett said the school corporation does not regularly track attendance at schools “unless the absenteeism rate per school reaches 20% due to illness.”
Burnett also said the school corporation would not know anyway how many immigrant students have been absent, citing a BCSC statement earlier this week that it does not collect or maintain any information about the immigration status of students.
“We remain steadfast in our mission to provide a welcoming culture built on respect and trust for all,” the school corporation said in a statement earlier this week. “In recent weeks, immigration policy at the federal level has inspired reactions and emotions within our community and across the nation. It is important to understand that, by law, a child’s immigration status (or that of their parents) does not affect their right to receive a public education. We remain committed to the core beliefs of celebrating diversity, building strong community partnerships and cultivating civic-minded citizens.”