Immigration Reform and School Response

As the new adminsitration takes shape and begins to implement its own policies, schools have begun to contemplate how to respond to questions and visits from law enforcement officials. As information and facts develop, understanding of the practical implications of official enforcement efforts will evolve, and how to respond will be different for every community and each community's own facts and population. 

As schools develop an understanding of their own communities and populations and the impact of changes to federal policy, the Illinois Council of School Attorneys developed a document with general rules about working with law enforcement officials that may be helpful to schools confronting law enforcement questions or actions. The document is titled "Guidelines for Interviews of Students at School by Law Enforcement Authorities" and can be located within a school's portal access on the Illinois Association of School Boards Website. This document, last updated in September of 2020, is evolving and will likely be updated by the Council in light of likely changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Policy (we will post the update here when it is live). But for now, it presents a good starting point to understand how best to engage with law enforcement while protecting the productivity and safety of the school environment.