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Counselors, parents and students ask Del Valle ISD to adopt trauma-response protocol for immigration detentions
Summary
Public commenters and a high-school counselor told the Del Valle ISD board that recent immigration enforcement has left students frightened and distracted and urged the district to adopt a formal trauma-response plan that assigns support staff, lists legal and counseling resources, and trains teachers.
President Wagner opened the Nov. 4 special meeting of the Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees and invited public comment. Katrina Van Hooten Houghton, the first speaker, asked the board to develop a trauma-response protocol specifically for family separations caused by immigration enforcement, saying students are arriving to class “crying” and “terrified” and that staff currently respond inconsistently.
Amina Dosani, a counselor at Valley High School, told trustees she has personally supported students whose parents were detained during the school day and said the district’s response has relied on ad-hoc actions by individual staff rather than a consistent, written process. “We had a student whose family was detained, who had a parent detained in the middle of the school day,” Dosani said, describing counselors and administrators stepping in but noting there was “nothing concrete for us to use.”
The speakers urged several specific steps: a clear protocol for when a parent or guardian is detained; a named on-site contact who can provide emotional and logistical support; a curated list of legal-aid, counseling and community partners; and staff training so teachers can respond without fear or confusion. Houghton tied the appeal to the district’s prior coordinated response to COVID-19, saying the same level of readiness and compassion is needed now.
The board did not take immediate action at the Nov. 4 meeting but acknowledged the comments. Administrative staff were noted as available to follow up with speakers and report back to the superintendent and board. The item provides a clear path for follow-up: trustees and administrators may direct staff to draft a trauma-response plan or to return with recommended protocols and resources at a future meeting.
