Teachers at Cincinnati Public Schools say students are increasingly fearful of ICE agents conducting raids on school property.
During Monday's school Board meeting, several educators from around the district asked their leadership to make an official statement supporting immigrant and undocumented students. They also asked the district to more widely release guidance on how staff should deal with the possibility of ICE agents showing up on school grounds.
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Adelaide Kruse, a science teacher at Aiken High School, says she has many immigrant students in her classroom who are seeing and hearing about ICE raids around the country. She says that's made them, and staff, anxious about the possibility of it happening at Aiken. That anxiety is worsened, she says, by the lack of guidance about what teachers should do if they encounter an agent.
"We need very clear policies," Kruse told Board members. "It sounds like they've been shared with principals and I hope soon they will be shared with us, the teachers, with office staff, with the substitutes, with the community [about] what happens when — not if — enforcement comes to our doors."
Others, like school social worker Sarah Madrigal, say the lack of guidance and an official statement from the district supporting immigrant communities makes their students feel like they're not a priority.
"I speak to them on a daily basis. They feel invisible, and that's what their government is asking of them, and that's what they're being forced to do. I was hopeful that CPS could be a little bit different in providing a place where they could feel seen and supported," Madrigal said.
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At Aiken High School, educators like language arts teacher Kendra Adamson say attendance in their classes has plummeted since President Trump's inauguration.
"I've seen a sharp decline in the attendance of my students who are usually so eager to learn," Adamson said. "In multiple classes, I am missing half of my students, many of whom have said specifically that they're scared to come to school because of the potential of those raids."
Teachers at Monday's meeting also discussed the need to connect immigrant students with remote learning opportunities so they can feel more comfortable without missing valuable class time.
The Board of Education did not respond to the teachers' comments during the meeting. On Tuesday, Cincinnati Public Schools released a statement in support of immigrant and refugee families.
"CPS does not permit law enforcement activities, including immigration enforcement, on school property or during school hours without proper legal authorization. Student records are protected by law and will not be disclosed without a court order or subpoena. Searches and seizures on school property require a lawfully issued warrant," a part of the statement read.
WVXU contacted the General Counsel for Cincinnati Public Schools for details on the guidance several teachers say was shared with school principals. General Counsel did not share any further information on the guidance, saying it was privileged legal advice provided to schools.
