When ICE is near Schools | No ICE in Schools

This is a student safety protocol — comparable to lockdown, fire, or emergency dismissal procedures.

The goal is to prevent chaos, protect students, and ensure safe reunification with families.

What the research shows

Immigration enforcement activity near schools creates measurable harm to students and families — even when enforcement does not target students directly. These effects are documented in national studies.

22% increase in student absences during intensified enforcement activity (Stanford GSE)

10% decline in Hispanic student enrollment where ICE partnerships intensified (Stanford SIEPR)

6.1M U.S.-citizen children under 18 living with an undocumented family member (American Immigration Council)

63.8% of high school principals report immigrant students missing school due to enforcement or rhetoric (UCLA)

For background on the legal distinctions that inform these procedures, see the difference between judicial and administrative warrants →

Before any incident: preparedness requirements

Effective response to any campus safety situation depends on preparation that happens well before an incident occurs.

Maintain at least two emergency contacts per student, including a non-parent trusted adult where possible
Require families to update contact information annually
Provide families with clear guidance on who is authorized to pick up their child and what to do if a parent is unavailable
Distribute Know Your Rights materials to families and all staff in accessible languages
Train all staff — including front office, teachers, and bus drivers — on response procedures

Schools should ensure emergency contact information is current and have plans in place to contact trusted adults if a parent is unavailable. (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Students and parents in a school meeting

Student Know-Your-Rights training

Students have the right to remain silent — they are not required to answer questions from agents
Students should refuse to consent to searches or entry into private spaces without a judicial warrant
Students should not sign any documents without speaking to a parent or lawyer first
Students should memorize a trusted adult's phone number in case they are separated from family

Partner with legal aid organizations to provide accessible, multilingual Know-Your-Rights materials for students and families. (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Family emergency planning

Help families identify alternative caregivers who can pick up children if a parent is detained
Provide guidance on how to locate a detained relative (ICE detainee locator, local legal aid contacts)
Encourage families to designate someone with legal authority to make decisions for children in an emergency
Distribute written emergency planning guides in families' home languages

For guidance on what happens when ICE is active in surrounding neighborhoods — including escort programs, attendance impacts, and community communication — see When ICE is in the Neighborhood →

When enforcement is present: on-campus response

When immigration enforcement is reported near or at a school, the goal is to maintain a calm, controlled environment while protecting student safety and following proper legal procedure.

Secure the campus

Activate controlled campus protocol
Keep students in classrooms or supervised areas
Restrict hallway movement

Route all contact

All interactions with outside agencies through a designated administrator only
Keep enforcement agents in public areas unless a judicial warrant is verified

Protect student information

Do not share student information without proper legal documentation
Do not confirm enrollment or presence of a specific student

Districts should designate a trained point person, verify warrants, and limit access to non-public areas while maintaining a calm environment. (Fisher Phillips)

Safe dismissal protocol

Standard dismissal procedures may not be appropriate when enforcement activity is ongoing or nearby. The following steps ensure students are released safely to authorized adults only.

ICE Activity
Reported

→

Secure
Campus

→

Hold
Students

→

Controlled
Release

→

Safe
Reunification

A. Pause normal dismissal

Do not release students through standard dismissal while enforcement activity is ongoing or nearby
Delay dismissal until the situation is assessed as safe

B. Switch to controlled release

Release students only to verified emergency contacts
All pickups routed through the front office
Require ID verification and document each pickup

Schools must ensure students are released only to authorized individuals and should not disclose or transfer students without proper legal authority. (Illinois State Board of Education)

C. Shelter in place until safe

Keep students inside until enforcement activity has ended or a safe release process is confirmed
Maintain supervision and normal classroom routines where possible

D. Transportation adjustments

Delay buses if enforcement activity is in the immediate area
Adjust pickup and dropoff locations if needed
Bus drivers must avoid interaction with enforcement agents and contact school administration immediately

E. When a parent or guardian cannot be reached

Release student to a pre-approved emergency contact
If no contact is available, keep student at school under staff supervision
Provide access to a school counselor or trusted support staff

Real-time family communication

Families must be notified promptly and clearly. Silence creates panic. Clear communication reduces it.

Notification should go out immediately via text, phone, and email and include:

Current status — students are safe and inside
Instructions for pickup if dismissal is delayed
When normal operations will resume

Schools should establish communication systems in advance to notify parents and staff of enforcement activity through phone, text, or email. (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)

Sample parent notification

"We are aware of law enforcement activity in the area. Your student is safe and inside the school building. We have activated our standard safety protocol. Normal dismissal is delayed. We will notify you as soon as the situation is resolved and provide pickup instructions. If you have questions, contact the main office at [number]."

After the incident

Confirm safe release

Verify all students have been safely released to authorized contacts before closing out the incident protocol.

Contact affected families

Reach out to families of students who may have been directly affected to offer information and support.

Provide counseling support

Make school counselors available. Students who witness or experience enforcement activity near school may need support processing the experience.

Document the incident

Record what happened, who was involved, what was requested, and how staff responded. Documentation protects the district and informs future training.

Conduct "Belonging" surveys

Survey students and families after significant incidents to measure whether fear, anxiety, or bullying has intensified. Culture audits help identify which students need additional support and whether school policies are working.

What School Districts Actually Do When ICE Is Near (Real Examples)

These examples show how districts respond when immigration enforcement is reported near schools — including nearby streets, neighborhoods, or routes to school.

Denver Public Schools (Colorado): Restrict movement when ICE activity is nearby

Schools may activate lockdown or controlled campus protocols
Students are kept in classrooms and hallway movement is restricted
Principals coordinate response with district leadership

(Axios Denver)

"lock down campuses if federal immigration agents come"

Denver Public Schools: Policies explicitly include areas beyond campus

Policies apply to transportation routes and school-related spaces
Nearby enforcement activity is treated as a student safety issue

(Denver Public Schools)

"on transportation routes… unless they have a lawful search warrant"

Denver Public Schools: Secure perimeter when enforcement is nearby

Schools may lock exterior doors and halt entry/exit
Movement in and out of buildings is restricted

"locking all exterior doors and halting all entries or exits"

New York: Immediate escalation and centralized response

Staff must not handle ICE situations independently
All situations are escalated to district leadership and legal counsel

(New York State Education Department)

"Immediately contact the superintendent… and the district's attorney"

New York: ICE activity can occur in public areas near schools

Guidance explicitly distinguishes school property from public space
Students may encounter ICE near bus stops or sidewalks
Schools focus on internal safety rather than external enforcement

(NYCLU)

"ICE can question you in public spaces such as a bus stop"

Massachusetts: Centralized district control for ICE-related situations

Staff must refer ICE activity to district leadership
No independent staff response is allowed

(NEA guidance used by districts)

"Direct ICE… agents to the school district Superintendent"

Massachusetts: Legal review required before any action

Schools must not make legal determinations independently
All responses are routed through legal counsel

"contact the superintendent… and the district's attorney"

Illinois: Planning explicitly includes ICE activity near schools

Guidance recognizes enforcement may occur near "sensitive locations"
Districts must prepare in advance for these situations

(Illinois State Board of Education)

"enforcement actions… in or near 'sensitive locations'"

Illinois: Planning for family disruption when enforcement occurs nearby

Schools prepare for situations where parents are detained
Require emergency contacts and backup caregivers

(Illinois State Board of Education)

"in the event a student's parent is detained"

Minnesota (Columbia Heights): Teachers as bodyguards — what happens without a clear plan

When ICE agents swarmed near a suburban Minnesota school district, teachers physically positioned themselves between agents and students
Parents sheltered in place and were detained; teachers acted as chauffeurs and bodyguards to get children safely to class
Even when agents remained off campus, their presence in nearby parking lots created fear and chaos for the entire school community

(The New Yorker)

"teachers acting as chauffeurs and bodyguards to get children safely to class… physically positioning themselves between agents and students"

Across districts, nearby ICE activity triggers real operational changes

These examples show a consistent pattern: schools do not ignore immigration enforcement happening nearby. Instead, they stabilize the campus, restrict movement, route decisions through leadership, and prepare for disruptions affecting families and dismissal.

How this fits with existing school safety planning

Schools already maintain detailed plans for a wide range of safety threats — including natural disasters, active shooter situations, and other emergencies. Planning for immigration enforcement activity near schools follows the same framework: identify potential risks, establish clear procedures, and train staff to respond calmly and consistently.

Schools are expected to plan for external threats

Schools maintain emergency operations plans covering multiple types of incidents
These include threats that may originate outside the school but affect student safety
Plans define roles, communication systems, and response procedures

(U.S. Department of Education / FEMA)

"Plans… prepare for, respond to and recover from a crisis"

Active threat planning includes incidents in or near schools

Schools plan for threats that may occur in the vicinity of the campus
Procedures include lockdown, evacuation, and communication protocols
Staff are trained in advance so response is immediate and consistent

(Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

"Lockdown… for threats… in the vicinity of a school"

Preparedness is a standard responsibility, not an exception

Schools are expected to prepare for a wide range of emergencies
This includes unpredictable or evolving threats
Planning reduces confusion and protects students during real incidents

(American Academy of Pediatrics)

"All schools should have… an emergency operations plan"

Safe-zone policies improve academic outcomes

Research on California school districts that adopted safe-zone policies found positive impacts on standardized test scores and high school graduation rates
Effects were largest among vulnerable and immigrant student populations
When families trust that schools will protect their children, students stay enrolled — reversing the attendance and enrollment declines driven by enforcement-related fear

(The CGO — Assessing the Role of Safe-Zone Policies in Promoting Academic Achievement)

Planning for ICE activity near schools follows the same safety model

Schools do not wait until a crisis happens to decide how to respond. They prepare in advance for fires, severe weather, and potential violence — including threats that may occur near, but not inside, the school building.

Immigration enforcement activity can create similar safety concerns: disrupted dismissal, student fear, and risk during arrival or pickup. As with any external threat, having a clear, practiced plan helps maintain order, reduce panic, and ensure students remain safe.

See the full policy picture Student safety is one layer. See all the policies that complete the structure.

When ICE is in the Neighborhood → Additional Policies Core Policy Statement