The Anchorage School District on Monday sent a message to families in response to the new federal stance on immigration, as President Donald Trump promises the largest deportation of undocumented immigrants in history.
In the first two weeks of Trump’s administration, he signed a series of sweeping executive orders, many aimed at curtailing a “catastrophic immigration crisis.” He has declared a national emergency at the southern border, revoked temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the country, and allowed for immigration officers to carry out enforcement actions in previously off-limits places, including schools and churches.
District employees said they’ve received calls from concerned parents and community members as a result.
“A lot of the concerns are around: Is it safe to bring my children to school? If ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents were to arrive at the school, would you give them information? Would you give them access to my child?’” said Bobbi Lafferty, who directs the district’s English Language Learner program.
“And the answer to all of that is: Absolutely your child is safe in our schools, and we would not give information,” Lafferty said. “We have a process that the leadership team has built for that.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that all students have a legal right to access public education regardless of their immigration status or their parents’ status, the district wrote in a brief question and answer portion added to their website on Monday afternoon. The Q&A is translated into the district’s six top languages.
The school district does not ask for a child’s immigration status during enrollment, nor would they share it with law enforcement officers should they learn it — except in specific, rare situations, like if an immigration officer has a warrant or court order, according to district staff.
“ASD remains committed to following established protocols when interacting with law enforcement, including federal immigration authorities. While complying with all applicable laws, we are steadfast in protecting the learning environment and the rights of our students and families,” wrote District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt in an email to parents on Monday afternoon.
“Any immigration official seeking to enter ASD property will be required to present a judicially signed warrant. This warrant will then be reviewed by ASD’s legal counsel to ensure it meets the necessary legal standards before any action is taken.”
Sven Gustafson, the district’s Chief Academic Officer, said if an immigration officer were to enter a school, it would set off a chain of commands — a process he briefed principals on on Monday.
School leadership would reach out to the district’s Senior Director of Risk Management, who would ask officers for identification and badge numbers, he said. If an officer had a warrant, that warrant would be forwarded to the school’s legal team to review and advise on, he said.
According to Gustafson and Lafferty, there’s no precedent of immigration officers entering Anchorage schools, despite a similar rollback of protected areas during the last Trump administration.
“We do not think that there’s going to be a lot of (officers) coming into our schools in this manner,” Gustafson said. “But we wanted to alleviate the stress on principals and the front office staff, to let them know that they don’t have to make those decisions, those decisions will be made by our legal team. And to make sure the families understand that we’re not going to give out that information, because we don’t collect it.”