Community Board 2 committee opposes Jan. 13 directive allowing ICE access to schools; asks city for clarity and support

Community Board 2’s Schools & Education Committee on Tuesday heard an overview from Superintendent Kelly McGuire of New York City Public Schools District 2 on district protocols for handling visits from federal immigration enforcement, and the committee unanimously approved a draft resolution opposing the Jan. 13, 2025 directive allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to city schools.

The committee’s chair, Patricia Larry, opened the session and introduced Superintendent Kelly McGuire. McGuire told the committee that the district’s longstanding policy remains that “non local law enforcement are not permitted to enter our school buildings,” and that principals and office staff may not provide student-family information to nonlocal law enforcement without a legal subpoena.

Why it matters: committee members and public attendees said the directive and related federal memos have created confusion and a chilling effect among families, particularly asylum-seeking and immigrant families, and pressed the district for clearer protections, outreach and services. The committee said the resolution will be sent to the mayor, chancellor and local elected officials and will inform a forthcoming full-board action.

Superintendent McGuire described current school procedures if nonlocal law enforcement appear: the school safety agent or principal asks for documentation, asks the officers to wait outside, and then the principal contacts the district’s senior field counsel for legal guidance. McGuire said senior field counsel are lawyers who work for New York City Public Schools and who provide weekday and weekend support to principals; he clarified they are not necessarily available overnight but can be reached before and after typical school hours and on weekends.

Committee members pressed for data and disaggregated attendance figures. McGuire said the district recorded an informal attendance dip of about 10 percent in the two weeks immediately after Jan. 20, 2025, but that attendance subsequently returned to near prior levels. He gave informal district-wide ranges, saying attendance has been “as high as 96% across the district” and “as low as the mid eighties,” and he emphasized that those figures are unaudited and that audited, disaggregated subgroup data must be published by the central office.

Members also asked about who receives training. McGuire said principals, assistant principals, office staff and parent coordinators have received additional trainings led by senior field counsel and the New York City Public Schools legal office. He said parent coordinators and school staff have been trained, and that district guidance emphasizes contacting legal counsel when nonlocal law enforcement seek entry or data.

Public commenters and committee members raised needs beyond enforcement questions: mental-health supports, basic needs and transportation for newly arrived families were discussed. A speaker identified as Michelle, co-chair of the Assisting Families Committee at PS 3, described three years of school-level volunteer support (food, clothing, referral to St. Luke’s and other groups), cited difficulty obtaining promised city supports early on, and asked whether the city could allocate roughly $6,000 (a figure she said covers basic food and toiletry needs per family for a month) to help families in her school community. Committee members noted Project Open Arms, an NYC page and program of supports for asylum-seeking families, and asked the superintendent’s office to clarify where promised city supports have been implemented.

The committee spent time reviewing a draft resolution titled “Resolution opposing the 01/13/2025 directive allowing ICE access to New York City public schools.” Members suggested edits to cite the chancellor’s February letter and Project Open Arms, and debated wording referencing legal protections and past federal memos on sensitive locations. The resolution passed unanimously in committee; the committee chair said the measure will be sent to the mayor, the chancellor, local elected officials and other stakeholders.

Votes at a glance - Resolution opposing the 01/13/2025 directive allowing ICE access to New York City public schools — outcome: approved unanimously by the Schools & Education Committee; mover/second and individual tallies not specified in the transcript.

What committee members asked next: attendees and committee members asked the district for clearer, more comprehensive guidance that is binding and publicly accessible; for disaggregated attendance and subgroup data for students living in temporary housing; and for confirmation of what supports (transportation, counseling, direct cash or in-kind aid) the city is providing to asylum-seeking families.

The committee chair said written questions submitted during and after the meeting will be forwarded to Superintendent McGuire and that the superintendent had offered to return for follow-up briefing if the committee or community requests it.

Ending note: the committee moved to a business session after the public discussion and approved the resolution to be forwarded to the full board and to city officials for further action.