Parents, teachers urge Durham schools to strengthen policy on immigration enforcement and adopt ‘private zones’ protocol

Public commentators urged the Durham Public Schools Board of Education on Thursday to revise district policy governing law‑enforcement interactions and to adopt a new “private zones” protocol to shield students and families from immigration enforcement at or near schools. Holly Harden, a middle‑school teacher, and several parents and students said the district’s current Policy 5120 does not clearly protect students’ due‑process rights or set staff procedures for responding to immigration enforcement. “I cannot do my job if students and families do not feel safe in our schools,” Harden said. Why this matters: advocates said unclear local rules and recent federal changes have increased fear among immigrant and refugee families, harming attendance, multilingual learner enrollment and student learning. Speakers asked the board to restore provisions that were in the district’s earlier policy (Policy 4321), adopt explicit geographic limits for law‑enforcement activity, require verification of warrants, and provide interpretation for families in their home language. Speakers described concrete effects and requests. River Wadsworth, a Hillside High School teacher and parent, told the board Hillside’s multilingual learner enrollment had fallen roughly 20% and that attendance for refugee and newcomer students is “even worse.” Wadsworth said students who previously were college‑bound are no longer in school and that fear is impeding participation by multilingual families. Fern Hickey, representing School Parents for Immigrant Defense, said lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union and the NC Justice Center drafted a detailed “private zones” protocol that outlines staff steps during immigration‑enforcement activities and clarifies what families can expect. Tony Macias read an anonymous parent letter asking the board to explain how staff will be trained, who will receive training, and how parents will be informed. What advocates want: speakers asked the board to (1) revise Policy 5120 to restore due‑process protections previously in Policy 4321, (2) adopt an administrative “private zones” policy that specifies where enforcement actions are allowed and how staff should respond, (3) require language access and interpretation for families, and (4) commit to training all school staff and communicating protocols to families. Board action and context: public commenters said they have submitted specific revisions to Policy 5120 to the policy committee; the board did not take a formal vote on those proposals during the meeting. Superintendent Anthony Lewis and staff heard the testimony; no formal policy change or committee directive was recorded on the public record at this session. What remains unclear: speakers repeatedly noted gaps they want addressed (for example, whether the district’s procedures would apply at bus stops, parking lots, sporting events or school‑sponsored off‑site activities), and they asked for a timeline for training and adoption. Board members listened and asked clarifying questions but made no formal commitment to adopt the proposed administrative protocol during the meeting. Looking ahead: advocates said they will continue to work with the policy committee and the superintendent’s office to turn their draft private‑zones protocol into district practice. Members of the public said they will press for training, public notice and a clear enforcement‑verification process so families know what to expect.