Parent urges Hopkinton schools to review policies after ICE‑costume incident

Jessica Lim, a Hopkinton parent of two Hopkinton High School students, told the school committee that a recent senior event included students dressed as ICE agents and that administrators allowed the costumes to participate.

"When high school administrators allowed ICE costumes on campus, it trivialized, very real trauma," Lim said, and asked the committee to review how policies were interpreted in the incident, strengthen dress and symbolic‑expression language to make emotional safety the priority, and provide clear training so administrators feel supported when intervening in politically sensitive situations.

Lim named three district guidelines she said were implicated: senior event rules requiring school‑approved attire, the student dress code (which the transcript states prohibits clothing likely to incite or cause disruption in a racial, religious or ethnic context), and the bullying prevention and intervention policy JICFC that bars behavior causing emotional harm or creating a hostile environment. She said families in Hopkinton — and in neighboring towns where ICE actions have occurred — experienced real fear tied to immigration enforcement, and that the district should treat student emotional safety as paramount.

In response the superintendent (in the superintendent’s report) said the high school will facilitate a community conversation during FlexBlock to provide space for reflection and belonging and staff said the incident underscores the need to clarify policy interpretation and provide guidance to administrators. The committee did not take disciplinary action at the meeting; Lim’s public comment generated a request that staff review policy application and training.

What happens next: staff will bring policy interpretations and recommended clarifications back to the committee; the high school is scheduled to host an in‑school community conversation to address impacts of the recent events.