Community urges Red Clay to adopt protections for undocumented students; board to revisit committee policy 09/2004

Several community members used the Red Clay Consolidated School District public-comment period on Feb. 12 to press the board for stronger, written protections for students with undocumented family members and to ask the board to reopen discussion of how its policy-review committee operates.

James Taylor, a community member who spoke during public comment, called on the board to adopt "an official policy of noncooperation with ICE raids on school property," saying the district should be "safe havens and temples of learning, not places where some children are forced to grow up with the constant threat of losing their parents." Taylor acknowledged potential federal consequences but said the board should act "in the interest of the rights and dignity of all the students and families in the Red Clay School District, but especially those with undocumented family members." He invoked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s phrase "an inescapable network of mutuality." (James Taylor, public comment)

Hadrian Sissel, a member of the district's board policy review committee representing Nominating District E, urged the board to hold a separate public meeting to discuss policy 09/2004, which governs board advisory committees. Sissel said the committee's chair "is not elected by the committee," that committee meetings have not followed Robert's Rules and that the chair has advanced edits and taken drafts to the full board despite opposition from other committee members. He asked the board to schedule a special public session so "every board member can have input, and the public can be involved by being able to listen in on the discussion." (Hadrian Sissel, public comment)

Jenny Howard, who identified herself as a community member, thanked the district for an earlier resolution reaffirming support for immigrant students and referenced the U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, noting the court held that a state may not deny access to public education to children based on immigration status. Howard said that legal background and the district's stated commitments made it appropriate to place immigrant-protection language into board policy. (Jenny Howard, public comment)

Naya Cruz, president of the Red Clay Secretaries Association, testified about the role of school secretaries as "the first faces...who interact with Red Clay" families and thanked district leadership for collaboration. Cruz said the district's practices should reflect protections and continuity of services for families with concerns about immigration enforcement. (Naya Cruz, public comment)

Board members and staff response

Board members and administrative staff did not adopt a new policy at the meeting. Several trustees and staff acknowledged the ongoing committee-level work on policy 09/2004 and agreed to move the policy-review discussion to a publicly noticed committee meeting. Board members noted the policy had been before the board multiple times and emphasized the need to provide community notice and an opportunity for comment before any adoption.

Why it matters

Speakers emphasized that placing a noncooperation or explicit student-protection policy into the board’s written rules would shift the district from a verbal or resolution-level commitment to an explicit directive governing staff conduct during interactions with immigration enforcement. Community members said formal policy would provide clarity to staff and families and ensure consistent district practice.

What was not decided

No formal change to district policy was adopted at the Feb. 12 meeting. Board members directed staff and the policy review committee to continue work, post materials on BoardDocs and make public meetings available for comment; a March meeting date and a February 26 policy-review meeting were referenced by multiple speakers.