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St. Louis Board of Education adopts resolution limiting on-campus immigration enforcement and affirming protections for undocumented students
Summary
The Board of Education of the City of St. Louis adopted a resolution directing that requests by immigration officials to access St. Louis Public Schools property be processed through the superintendent’s office and reaffirming that undocumented students are entitled to equal access to public education and privacy protections under federal law.
The Board of Education of the City of St. Louis voted to adopt a student-safety resolution that directs requests by immigration-enforcement officials to be handled through the superintendent’s office and affirms that SLPS will not deny admission or participation based on immigration status.
Doctor Borschay read the resolution during the meeting, citing federal protections: “Whereas St. Louis Public Schools, SLPS, has a responsibility to ensure that all students who reside in these boundaries can safely access a free public education in accordance with the United States Supreme Court decision in Plyler versus Doe,” and noting that student records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The resolution states that all requests by officials to perform immigration-enforcement activities on SLPS property must be processed through the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee and that schools shall not permit officials to access students on site without completed documentation to the superintendent’s office.
Board members voted in favor of the measure during a roll call. The motion to adopt the student-safety resolution was moved and seconded, and the chair declared the motion passed. The board recorded affirmative votes during roll call from members identified in the meeting as present.
Nut graf: The resolution formally directs school staff to route immigration-enforcement requests through central administration and restates that SLPS will treat students equitably regardless of immigration status. Board members characterized the action as a commitment to student safety and legal compliance under Plyler v. Doe and FERPA.
In discussion leading up to the vote, board members and staff emphasized compliance and administrative processing rather than on-site cooperation with officials. After the vote, Board member Hubbard said she appreciated the board’s action and that it “is gonna mean a lot to our community.”
The resolution text included the board’s explicit finding that denying admission or participation based on undocumented status would violate the Fourteenth Amendment and that student records are protected by FERPA. The resolution, as read, set the formal directive that schools must require officials to contact and submit all relevant documentation to the superintendent’s office before gaining access to students.
Ending: The board adopted the resolution as read. No formal implementation schedule was read into the record during the meeting; the resolution instructs that requests be processed through the superintendent’s office and does not specify further administrative steps in the posted text.
