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Resident raises ICE concerns; superintendent outlines district protocol, says state guidance forthcoming
Summary
A Wethersfield resident asked how the district would respond if ICE agents tried to access a school on Jan. 28, and Superintendent Michael Emmett described the district’s protocol: principals or designees must notify the superintendent and security director, officials will ask for a judicial warrant for access to nonpublic areas, and the district will notify legal counsel and parents as appropriate.
A Wethersfield resident raised questions during public comment on Jan. 28 about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entering school grounds and about the district’s protocols for responding.
Resident Sarah Ganley asked whether ICE could enter lobbies, wait on sidewalks or access nonpublic areas without judicial warrants and requested clarity about when and how parents would be notified. “Are ICE agents required to disclose who they are?” she asked, and she urged the board to issue a public statement declaring ICE is not welcome in town schools.
Superintendent Michael Emmett responded that the district has a standing obligation under federal law to respond to federal agents, while also having legal duties to protect students’ privacy under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and to provide a public education. Emmett described the district’s protocol: building office staff are trained to notify the principal or designee and the district security director; the superintendent or security director would then address the ICE official and request a judicial warrant for access to nonpublic areas; the district would notify counsel (Shipman & Goodwin) and the superintendent’s office; and parents would be notified if an event occurs. Emmett said the state department of education had issued guidance to districts and that the district would distribute that guidance to families.
Emmett told the board the district treats legal distinctions between judicial warrants and administrative warrants seriously and that school staff are not required to grant access on the basis of an administrative warrant. He also said the district will seek to support and protect administrators who follow the district’s protocols.
The board heard requests from the public for more explicit, widely distributed step‑by‑step protocols and for assurances that employees following district procedures would be shielded from legal repercussions. Emmett said the district would translate and distribute state guidance and planned additional training and communications for principals and staff.
The public comment and superintendent remarks were recorded in the meeting minutes. The board did not adopt new policy language at the Jan. 28 meeting; Emmett said further information and training materials would be provided to staff and families.
