Community member urges Owatonna School Board to adopt 'Safe Schools' resolution on immigration enforcement

Beth Gilfette, a community member representing Steele County Indivisible, urged the Owatonna Public School District board during public forum on Jan. 27 to adopt a Safe Schools resolution to limit immigration enforcement activity near schools.

The resolution, Gilfette told the board, would “ensure that schools remain safe havens of learning and child development, not fear,” and would prohibit collection of immigration information and set protocols for handling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests while complying with federal and state law. “This resolution is about ensuring that due process is followed and that no family has to endure unnecessary fear or intimidation while accessing their right to education,” she said.

Gilfette said she would email the board a template based on a National Education Association model and requested the board consider it before their next business meeting. She emphasized the proposal does not seek to shield individuals who have committed crimes and said schools would comply with signed judicial warrants from ICE.

Board members did not take immediate formal action on the request during the meeting; the item was presented during the public comment portion of the agenda. Gilfette’s remarks focused on student wellbeing and community trust, citing that immigration enforcement near schools “creates a climate of anxiety and instability for immigrant families” and can “crush students’ abilities to learn.”

The request joins a growing number of local petitions nationwide that ask districts to adopt policies limiting enforcement activities on or near campuses. Gilfette said she would distribute the model language to board members electronically.

No vote or directive to staff was recorded on the transcript in response to the public comment.