Prince George’s County Public Schools has adopted a new policy outlining what should and should not happen if federal immigration enforcement agents appear at one of the district’s nearly 200 schools.
Leaders at the second-largest public school system in Maryland said the goal is to help students in the county’s highly diverse district focus on learning while setting clear expectations for staff, students and families after the Board of Education approved the policy on March 26.
“As a father and interim superintendent, I know that a child cannot learn if they’re living in fear,” said interim superintendent Shawn Joseph.
“When you drop your children off at our doors, you’re handing us your most precious possession,” said Joseph. “In return, we owe you a promise — that our schools will be places of safety, joy, and discovery, not places of worry.”
Shelter-in-place policy
Board member Aimee Olivo, vice chair of the board’s Policy and Governance Committee, said the policy allows principals to initiate shelter-in-place procedures in response to immigration enforcement activity.
“We authorize a school to go into shelter-in-place protocol, if immigration enforcement is on school property,” said Olivo. “This includes evening meetings, and the school area, 24/7.”
She said principals may also use their judgment if enforcement is nearby.
After watching U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in other jurisdictions, Olivo said the Prince George’s County policy aims to head-off confrontations.
“We will allow principals to use their professional judgment to go into shelter-in-place if immigration enforcement is within 1,000 feet of school property,” she said.
Olivo said immigration enforcement has not tried to enter school buildings in the county, but agents have been present near schools.
“We have seen the presence of immigration enforcement, sometimes happen at school drop-off or school dismissal,” and added that the policy also limits the role of school-based law enforcement.
“It ensures that our school safety and law enforcement partners are here solely for the safety of the campus — they are strictly prohibited from acting as immigration agents,” Olivo said.
What ‘shelter-in-place’ means
Joseph said shelter-in-place procedures are familiar to staff and students.
“All students are accounted for, doors are locked, external and internal. … It signals to everybody that something is happening that requires their attention, their focus and their safety,” Joseph said, adding that parents are notified after the immediate situation is addressed.
“When the shelter-in-place happens, we notify the parents after, because it’s an immediate occurrence,” adding that school leaders “typically are in close communications with the police department and school system security.”
Then, “when (the shelter-in-place) is released we’ll send a statement to explain why it happened after the fact, but in the moment, we just act,” Joseph said.
Shannon Wilk, director of education at We Are CASA, an immigration advocacy group, thanked the Board of Education in a news conference before the vote.
“At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, you will be remembered for insisting that in Prince George’s County, all students are welcomed, valued, and must be protected.”
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