Harrison County Schools outlines protocol for law‑enforcement and child‑welfare actions in schools

Harrison County Schools officials reviewed a written protocol on Tuesday for how school staff should respond when law enforcement or the Department of Human Services (DHHR) seeks to question or remove a student from school.

The presentation, delivered by Sarah Starkey, explained the district follows federal law including the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982), which "held that a state may not deny access to a basic public education to any child, whether present in The United States legally or otherwise." Starkey said the district’s Neola policy adopted in July 2024 sets the steps staff should follow when an outside agency arrives at a school.

Under the presented protocol, agencies should be directed immediately to the principal or the principal’s designee. The principal should make reasonable efforts to notify a student’s parent, guardian or custodian before any interrogation when appropriate, and document all attempts to notify them. The protocol requires the principal or designee to be present during questioning unless law enforcement or DHHR directs otherwise. Starkey said students are entitled to be informed of their rights against self‑incrimination if they are in a law‑enforcement custodial setting.

Starkey also described a district court‑order procedure for situations when an agency presents a signed court order requesting removal of a student. The procedure calls for administrators to verify validity of the order with the district’s prevention resource officer and to notify the superintendent, homeroom teacher and office staff of pertinent details. The protocol assigns clerical steps — including filing court orders in a cabinet beside the secretary’s desk and updating contact records — and gives the director of safety and discipline a role in further vetting orders with federal and state contacts.

Jason Snyder, the district’s director of safety and discipline, was named in the presentation as the official staff contact to vet court‑order lists and to coordinate with outside agencies. Starkey said the district will notify DHHR when appropriate and collaborate with law enforcement and Child Protective Services while aiming to "protect the integrity and the safety of our students." She also said mandatory‑reporter obligations require school staff who suspect abuse or neglect to notify the appropriate authorities "immediately, but not more than 24 hours."

Board members questioned how the protocol would apply if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers appear on school grounds. A prevention resource officer who spoke to the board said his experience and contacts across the state made him unlikely to expect unannounced ICE removals at schools. "I just I really don't see them just showing up," the prevention resource officer said, adding that the local practice is to verify orders and coordinate through supervisors before removing a student.

Starkey said district staff are working with community partners, including Mountain State Justice, to organize family‑engagement sessions (tentatively later in February) to inform immigrant families about their rights in school settings. The presentation closed with a short question‑and‑answer exchange on notification practices, presence of administrators during interviews and the district’s duty of cooperation with agencies when a valid court order is presented.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; officials said the protocol document is an internal procedure the district has begun to implement and circulate to school administrators.