Beacon school officials say they have distributed state guidance on immigration enforcement after public concern

A Beacon resident raised concerns about immigration enforcement at the school board’s Jan. 27 meeting, and district administrators said they have circulated state guidance and are meeting with attorneys and bilingual staff to help families.

The comment came during public comment when Vicky Fox told the Board of Education she was “very concerned about what may be happening to children in this district with the immigration, deportations and stuff.” Fox urged the district to run “know your rights” workshops and to help families understand the difference between a judicially signed search warrant and an immigration document she said would not “go along with the 4th Amendment for searches.”

Superintendent Matt told the board at the podium immediately after the public comment that the district had already sent the state guidance to families and staff and that administrators were taking additional steps. “We did send out the state guidance and we sent out some additional information, last week,” he said. “We’re meeting our administrative team this week with one of our attorneys to go through it. Several of our bilingual staff have also been working with families, around the guidance.”

At a later point in the meeting, Matt reiterated the district response in his superintendent remarks, saying the administration is “spending quite a bit of time trying to educate ourselves and educate the community and our staff too.” He told the board he planned a community webinar to discuss survey results and next steps on related topics.

The board did not adopt any new policy at the Jan. 27 meeting related to immigration enforcement. Administrators characterized their response as ongoing: circulating guidance, meeting with counsel and working with bilingual staff to assist families. The district did not provide a timeline at the meeting for workshops or other community events referenced by the public speaker.

Public-comment concerns and the superintendent’s remarks appeared during the meeting’s opening public comment period and again in the superintendent’s closing remarks; board members did not make further motions or votes tied to the topic during the session.

Community members who raised questions at the meeting said they wanted more clarity for families about steps to take if immigration authorities appear at home or school. The district characterized its current work as information-sharing and legal review rather than adoption of a formal new policy.

Looking ahead, Superintendent Matt said he planned additional outreach events, including a community webinar scheduled for Monday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m., and school-level meetings to continue the conversation with families and staff.