Highline pauses revised Title IX-based harassment policy; district reaffirms state protections and trains staff on immigration enforcement procedures

Highline School District on Jan. 22 removed proposed revisions to its student harassment policy that had been drafted to follow recently issued Title IX guidance, after a federal court ruling vacated that guidance nationwide.

Holly Ferguson, the district’s chief policy and strategy officer, told the board the revised version of policy 03/2005 had been based on a model policy from the Washington Association of School Districts (WASDA) incorporating the new Title IX guidelines. She said a federal circuit court judge in Kentucky vacated those guidelines less than 24 hours after the board’s prior meeting and that WASDA advised the district to pause the revisions. Ferguson said the existing student policy 03/2005 and staff policy 05/2011 remain in force and “do not reduce the protections that Highline Public Schools and the state of Washington extend to our LGBTQIA+ community.”

During public comment earlier in the meeting, a Tyee High School student urged the board to adopt a procedure similar to Seattle Public Schools’ Superintendent Procedure 4310, which requires a judicial warrant absent exigent circumstances before an immigration agent may access a school. Several community members and a Lake Washington School District educator asked the board to strengthen protections for undocumented students and families and to prepare staff for potential immigration enforcement actions.

District leaders said they have trainings and protocols in place. Holly Ferguson and other staff described Policy 4300, “Limiting Immigration Enforcement in Schools,” as grounded in Washington state law and said the district trains principals and office staff on how to respond if immigration officials arrive on campus. The training covers documentation (for example, collecting any order presented by an agent), notifying the superintendent’s office, and seeking outside legal counsel when appropriate, Ferguson said. Officials said they had conducted training sessions for principals and office managers and curated resources for staff and community partners to support student well-being.

Superintendent Dr. Duran emphasized the district’s commitment to students’ safety and belonging, and district staff said they would continue to monitor federal action and provide legal guidance as needed. No new board votes were taken on policy 03/2005 on Jan. 22; the item was removed from the agenda for further review.