Parent group asks Parkrose for clear plans and alerts if ICE appears near schools; district describes existing protocols
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Summary
At the Dec. 8 Parkrose board meeting, Russell Helpers parent Sarah Mulderoy asked the district for publicly posted plans and a designated contact for the community if ICE is present near schools. District staff described training, 'know your rights' sessions, and a communication protocol to hold students inside and send urgent messages to families.
Sarah Mulderoy, a Russell Elementary parent representing a newly formed group called Russell Helpers, urged the Parkrose SD 3 board on Dec. 8 to publish clear, school‑level and district‑wide plans for how staff and families will respond if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is present near schools.
Mulderoy listed three specific requests: (1) clear plans from each school about how they will protect students and families when ICE is present; (2) an alert system to notify families when ICE is near a school or in the neighborhood; and (3) a designated district contact person to communicate about such incidents.
A district administrator responded with a detailed description of current protocols and training. The administrator said staff have been trained to distinguish between judicial warrants and ICE actions under Oregon law, that staff have been instructed to report any law‑enforcement presence to the district office before taking action, and that staff have had "know your rights" trainings and coordination with community partners such as Latino Network. The administrator said the district’s short guidance is to keep students in the building and send urgent notifications to families rather than to have staff physically intervene.
The administrator added that the district has provided principals with phone numbers and a police liaison to help verify reported presence and that there have been reports of ICE presence in nearby public places (the transcript cites an ICE presence reported near a Wendy’s by the high school). Staff said warrants being served at schools is atypical, but that they have field‑trip and off‑site protocols and will share written versions of those documents with the parent who requested them.
Mulderoy said the district’s written protocols and a clear designated contact would help families and community members feel prepared; the administrator agreed to provide written documentation and follow up directly by email. The board did not take formal action at the meeting on the request, but staff committed to making written protocols more prominent and to sharing them with the requesting parent and the community.