Granite School District: No ICE in Schools
Clear procedures, trained staff, and strong communication for all families across Utah's largest school district.
What we are asking for
- Require a judge-signed warrant before immigration enforcement officers enter non-public school areas or remove a student
- Train front office staff with a written protocol and clear escalation path
- Notify families promptly when enforcement activity affects the school or a student
Why it matters
- Many Granite families — including refugee and immigrant communities — may be directly affected by immigration enforcement
- Fear and uncertainty reduce attendance and hurt student learning across the district
- Utah's largest district needs clear, consistent procedures — not responses that vary by school or administrator
- Staff deserve a written protocol, not an impossible decision under pressure
How we win in Granite School District
This effort is organized and strategic. The goal is not just awareness — it is policy change.
Recruit and grow
- Build a base of parents, students, educators, and community members across Granite's large and diverse communities
- Expand outreach through schools, refugee organizations, and neighborhood networks
Build a coalition
- Connect parent groups, refugee organizations, faith communities, immigrant support organizations, educators, and interested community members
- Coordinate across organizations instead of working in isolation
Develop a strategy
- Align on messaging and specific policy requests
- Prepare speakers and coordinate outreach to individual board members
Show up together
- Attend school board meetings as a unified group
- Make a clear, coordinated request for policy adoption
What is happening now
- Granite School District has no clearly communicated, district-wide protocol for how schools should respond to immigration enforcement visits
- How a school responds depends on which administrator is available — responses may vary significantly across the district's many campuses
- Front office staff have no documented procedure for what to do, who to call, or what they are and are not required to allow
- Families — including Granite's significant refugee, immigrant, and mixed-status communities — have no clear information about what the district would do if officers arrived at their child's school
- As Utah's largest district by enrollment, the lack of a consistent policy affects more students than any other single district gap in the state
For organizations and community leaders
We are actively building a coalition in Granite School District to pass a clear, written policy protecting students and families.
This is a coordinated effort with a clear plan:
- Recruit community members across the district
- Build a coalition of aligned organizations
- Develop a shared strategy and messaging
- Show up together at school board meetings to make a unified request
If your organization works with students, families, educators, or immigrant communities — or if you are simply a community member who cares about this issue — your voice matters in this effort.
Ways to participate:
- Join coalition planning conversations
- Help recruit community members
- Provide a speaker for school board meetings
- Share this effort with your network
What you can do
Granite School District's board can adopt a protective policy at any meeting. Here is how to make that happen.
Sign up for updates
Get notified about upcoming board meetings, action alerts, and new developments in Granite District.
Sign UpContact a board member
A brief, personal email to a board member asking for a written policy is more impactful than it sounds. Board members read constituent mail.
Find Board Members ↗Attend a board meeting
Public comment gives you 2–3 minutes to speak directly to the board. Attending with others sends a stronger signal.
Full Meeting Schedule ↗Connect with local organizations
Parent groups, faith communities, refugee support organizations, educator networks, and community members throughout Granite School District are all welcome in this effort. You do not need to belong to a specific group to get involved.
Get ConnectedShare this page
Know someone in Granite School District — a parent, teacher, or community leader? Send them here. More people means a stronger ask.
View this page →Granite communities are strongest when organizations work together. Help connect parent groups, educators, and community organizations across the district. Policy change happens when multiple organizations coordinate — not when groups act alone.
We are actively bringing together parent groups, educators, faith communities, refugee support organizations, and any community members who care about keeping schools safe — to develop a shared strategy and present a unified request to the school board.
Common questions
What would this policy actually do?
A protective school policy creates a clear, district-wide procedure — not a general statement of values. Specifically, it would:
- Require immigration enforcement officers to present a judicial warrant (signed by a judge, not an administrative ICE form) before entering non-public areas of any school or removing a student
- Give every front office staff member a written script and a clear person to call — so no one has to make a real-time legal decision under pressure
- Require the district to notify families when enforcement activity affects a student or a school
- Create a consistent, documented response across all schools in the district
It would not prevent lawful enforcement with proper legal authority, and it does not require the district to take any position on immigration policy.
Is this legal?
Yes. Schools have the legal authority — and arguably the obligation — to require proper legal documentation before allowing access to students or student records.
- Plyler v. Doe (1982): Schools cannot deny education on the basis of immigration status, creating a duty to protect access to learning.
- FERPA: Schools are already legally required to protect student records from disclosure without proper legal authority.
- Fourth Amendment: Requiring a judicial warrant is consistent with constitutional standards that apply to government actors, including immigration enforcement.
- DHS Sensitive Locations Policy: Federal guidance already discourages enforcement at schools. A district policy formalizes what federal guidelines already acknowledge.
See the strategy page for detailed legal analysis.
Why does this matter specifically in Granite?
Granite School District is Utah's largest by enrollment, serving more than 60,000 students across a wide geographic area that includes some of the state's most diverse and most directly affected communities.
- Communities in West Valley City, Kearns, Taylorsville, and Midvale include large Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, and refugee populations with significant immigration enforcement exposure
- A policy in Granite would protect more students than any other single district action in Utah
- Without a consistent policy, families in affected communities have no way of knowing whether their specific school has any procedures in place at all
The size of the district amplifies both the problem and the impact of a solution.
What does local law enforcement have to do with schools?
Several Utah counties participate in 287(g) agreements — federal-local partnerships that authorize local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement functions. This means enforcement risk in Utah extends beyond ICE agents to include local sheriffs and police in everyday encounters.
A school district policy cannot override those agreements, but it can establish the school building as a distinct protected space with its own written rules — giving families a clear, reliable guarantee that the school operates differently.
Full strategic analysis
For detailed research, policy design guidance, coalition strategy, and implementation tools, see the organizer strategy page.
Granite School District can act now.
The board does not need to wait for state law. A clear, written policy is within reach — and with Granite's size, adoption here would be one of the most significant steps Utah has taken to protect students.