School leaders serving immigrant students and families have long prepared for the possibility of needing to arrange care for a student in the event that federal immigration agents detain parents or guardians.
But advocates say more school leaders are now actively seeking guidance as immigration enforcement increases in communities across the country. Most recently, educators in Minnesota found themselves grappling with fear among families about a surge of enforcement in the state. On Feb. 12, federal officials said the immigration enforcement surge—which has drawn protests and set many school communities on edge—would end after more than two months.
Ensuring a student’s safety when a parent or guardian is detained typically falls to school leaders, operating under district policies and state law, said leaders at ImmSchools, a national nonprofit that works with K-12 schools to support undocumented students and their families.
State and local guidelines may vary and take precedence, but there are some general best practices school leaders can follow.
Advocates say that includes:
- Regularly requesting updated emergency contact information from all families, including any copies of notarized power of attorney forms.
- Training front desk staff and school administrators on established protocols for when parents/guardians are detained by immigration agents.
- Being flexible to work with emergency contacts who themselves may be fearful of immigration enforcement (this could mean keeping a student later or releasing them from school earlier to accommodate the emergency contact’s schedule).
- And avoiding any assumptions of neglect from parents, with the ultimate goal of family reunification.
For an overview of recommended guidance, see the downloadable below.
For additional resources, including templates for emergency contact information, review this toolkit from Fugees Family, an organization that works with schools on serving newcomer immigrant students.
