As public school students and families in San Francisco prepare to return to school next week, educators are facing a troubling new concern: how to adequately prepare for the potential of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents appearing on campus.
The situation has heightened anxieties among teachers, particularly after President Donald Trump reversed federal policies that previously kept ICE off school grounds shortly after his inauguration.
Daniel Alonso, a fifth grade teacher at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the Mission district, voiced apprehension over how to handle such scenarios. “We’re trained for school shootings, for situations where our life could be on the line,” Alonso said. “What does that look like if there’s a potential immigration raid?”
In response to these fears, some educators are independently taking steps to prepare. They have begun distributing Know Your Rights red cards in classrooms, facilitating discussions on protocols to move students and secure doors if ICE agents arrive unexpectedly.
Diana Diaz, who is involved in afterschool programs through the Beacon Initiative that supports low-income and immigrant students, shared that her team has trained staff on how to react if a student’s parent is detained by ICE. Members of her team have even saved the Rapid Response Number in their phones to enable quick action in case of an ICE sighting.
While administrators have received legal briefings from the district on how to handle law enforcement encounters, many teachers have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of direct training provided. This issue has become a central point in ongoing contract negotiations, with the United Educators of San Francisco pushing for specific guarantees of training access for all teachers.
Union president Cassondra Curiel commented, “There are things that have been posted, and there are feelings that have been shared, but when push comes to shove, quite literally, what is the district willing to do? Our members are looking for instruction.”
Currently, San Francisco has not experienced raids like those seen in Southern and Central California, where ICE has notably detained individuals at various public locations. However, ICE has reportedly been active in detaining individuals at immigration courts, stirring a sense of uncertainty. Just recently, in a distressing incident, a boy was detained while waiting outside a high school in the Los Angeles area.
Despite these challenges, the San Francisco school district maintains policies affirming its status as a sanctuary district within a sanctuary city and state. It provides a six-point FAQ addressing how schools should engage with ICE.
A district spokesperson assured, “We are engaged with city, state, and community partners to help students, caregivers, and staff prepare and know their rights. We have and continue to provide information to school staff on how to handle immigration concerns.”
During a recent school board meeting, Superintendent Maria Su reaffirmed the district’s commitment to immigrant students. She emphasized that families should not have to share their immigration status with the district, which does not track such information. “I want to be crystal clear: San Francisco public schools remain committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all students and their families, regardless of immigration status,” stated Su.
Additionally, district employees and officials are prohibited from assisting immigration enforcement. Under state law, they are instructed not to allow ICE entry to schools without a judicial warrant and explicit permission from the superintendent.
Nevertheless, educators remain worried about potential confrontations with ICE agents, fearing that such anxiety could lead parents to withdraw their children from schools. Curiel expressed the emotional toll these responsibilities take on teachers, saying, “It’s really anxiety-filling to go from a place where you’re making lesson plans to creating a plan for an evacuation or hiding. We are looking to the district to communicate something that encourages families to feel like they can bring their child to school and know that we’re going to hold the line, whatever that is.”
The impact of immigration enforcement on school attendance is evident. A recent study from Stanford University revealed that an immigration raid in California’s Central Valley resulted in a 22 percent drop in student attendance as parents feared separation from their children during the school day.
This decline in attendance persisted for two months, indicating that the effects of immigration enforcement extend beyond immediate incidents. Younger students, who are more likely to live in households with undocumented individuals, experienced higher absence rates. According to researcher Tom Dee, this trend can signal broader disruptions occurring within families experiencing raids. “It’s a harbinger, a leading indicator of the disruption that’s occurring,” he noted. “There could be spillover learning consequences.”
The San Francisco district has been vocal about its overall attendance concerns, highlighting that numbers have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, with financial repercussions estimated at around $18 million annually. However, discussions regarding the link between immigration enforcement and student attendance have been strangely absent.
Much of the responsibility for alleviating parental fears has fallen on educators themselves. Diaz, from the Beacon Initiative, shared that she organized workshops for families last year to inform them about the protections in place against ICE. She encouraged discussions about how school security operates and how to use the Rapid Response Number.
Even small triggers, such as an unmarked van near a school, can stir panic among parents during the summer.
Diaz emphasized the importance of keeping families informed to reduce their stress and anxiety, saying, “It can reduce stress and anxiety for them to be informed.”
image source from：missionlocal
