Tyler ISD parent urges district support as ICE activity stokes fear among Hispanic families

Leslie Duran, a Tyler ISD parent, told the board during public comment that recent immigration-enforcement activity has created “fear and uncertainty” for many Hispanic and Latino families in the district. “With ICE agents active in our neighborhoods, parents are afraid to leave their homes,” Duran said, adding some families are reluctant to bring children to school and that students worry they may not see their parents at the end of the day.

Duran asked what Tyler ISD is doing to ensure the safety and well‑being of students during this time, and she reminded trustees that the district serves more than 18,000 students and that district demographics show 48.3% of students are Hispanic. She cited campus-level concentrations — for example, Burwell (about 89.8% Hispanic), Bonner (76.1%), Douglass (84%) and Tyler High (about 67.2%) — to underline that this is not an isolated concern but affects many campuses.

Duran also highlighted community and PTA efforts to support families — organizing rides, collecting food and offering other help — and said the district should be part of that effort: “Families should feel the support of their school district.” The board’s public‑comment procedures were observed and, by policy, trustees did not respond with a substantive conversation on the record during the comment period.

The meeting record shows no formal board action or directive arising from that comment during the session. District staff and trustees acknowledged the comment and proceeded to scheduled agenda items. The board’s next regular meeting is December 15, when trustees could choose to place related items on a future agenda.