The People’s Commissioners Court wants Fort Worth ISD to create a policy prohibiting immigration officers’ access to school campuses.
During a meeting Tuesday, resident Sabrina Ball, who presented the proposal to community members, said students and families’ safety should be the priority at schools, citing the Fourth Amendment.
“We want to make sure that our schools are safe spaces, particularly pick up and drop off,” Ball said. “Those are tough times already; we don't need ICE making things worse.”
A proposed policy requests U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement officers not be allowed at a school site without permission from the district’s superintendent.
The proposal also asks for the superintendent not to allow “access that disrupts the learning environment.”
Among several things, the proposal also asks the superintendent to request a judicial warrant from any ICE agent looking for a student, as well as notify parents of the inquiry.
In 2017, the FWISD school board unanimously approved a resolution that established all schools as “welcoming and safe” and that all students are entitled to public education regardless of immigration status or their parent’s status.
“[T]he Fort Worth Independent School District will strive to create the safest possible environments for its students and employees, providing them the foundation needed to learn, thrive, seek assistance and information, and reach each child's potential in an education-focused environment free of insecurity and fear, for all its employees, students, and their families, regardless of their immigration status,” the policy read.
That proposal came from fears of increased deportations during President Donald Trump’s first presidential term. But community members say that district policy is too vague for present-day needs, and that families need a more detailed policy addressing ”potential disruption” by ICE officers.
“In Tarrant County, we're always talking about law and order,” Ball said. “We do not have to do what is happening in Minnesota. We can set a standard here and there's no reason for ICE to come on to our campuses and cause a panic.”
Concerns come amid rising tensions with ICE officers and people protesting across the country. Two people were killed and a third person was shot in the leg in Minnesota by ICE officers this month, sparking more backlash and fear from communities and government officials.
A 5-year-old boy in Minnesota was also detained by federal agents while coming home from preschool, along with his father. Both were taken to a detention center near San Antonio.
The People's Commissioners Court launched last year in response to Tarrant County Commissioners changing their meeting schedule to once a month.
Tarrant County community members hope to bring their concerns at FWISD’s next board meeting on Feb. 24. The school district was taken over by the state last year due to years of repeated low student performance at a campus in the district that has since closed.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
