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District counsel briefs staff on responding to immigration enforcement: 'Think calm,' verify warrants, consult superintendent
Summary
In a staff presentation shared with the public, in‑house counsel Royce Russell advised staff to stay composed, verify paperwork from immigration agents, limit disruption, record events and consult the superintendent and legal counsel before sharing student or personnel records.
Royce Russell, the district's in‑house counsel, briefed trustees and staff on Oct. 14 on how school employees should respond if immigration or other law‑enforcement officers appear at school sites. Russell framed his guidance around four steps — "think calm": stay composed, be aware, listen and make a call — and repeatedly urged staff to document names, badge numbers and any paperwork.
"If it's not on a report, then it didn't happen," Russell told the board, explaining that accurate, contemporaneous documentation is critical to any later challenge. He also said that staff may record public officials and that video can help reconstruct events for parents, the superintendent and counsel.
Russell summarized legal limits and staff options. As a general rule he said the Fourth Amendment…
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