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House backs school‑safety bill that bans school collection of immigration status and requires a judicial warrant for law‑enforcement entry
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Summary
S.227 would prohibit schools from collecting or sharing student immigration status, require a judicial warrant naming a specific person before law enforcement may enter nonpublic school areas for immigration matters, require an Attorney General immigration resource guide by 08/01/2026, and direct the Agency of Education to issue a model policy by 01/01/2027; the House proposed committee amendments and ordered third reading.
The Vermont House advanced S.227, a bill described by its sponsor as a school‑safety and student‑privacy measure that restricts school collection and disclosure of immigration status and sets procedures for law‑enforcement access to school facilities.
Representative Bridal (member from Williston) told the chamber the bill "secures the right of every child to equal access to a free public education and to a school that's safe from intimidation and fear regardless of immigration status." Key text prohibits schools from collecting or requesting students’ or families’ citizenship or immigration status except where required by law and bars recording immigration status in school directories or databases.
On law‑enforcement access the bill states: "If law enforcement appears at a school site on an immigration related matter, a superintendent or head of school or their designee shall not allow the officer into a non public area of a school until the officer presents a judicial warrant naming a specific person at the school that is subject to search or arrest." The bill also requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Agency of Education, to develop an immigration resource guide by 08/01/2026 and directs the agency to publish a model policy by 01/01/2027; school boards must adopt matching policies by the 2027‑28 school year or be deemed to have adopted the model policy.
The Education Committee reported the bill favorably on an 11‑0 vote after hearing from school administrators, the Agency of Education, district superintendents, students, and civil‑rights and legal counsel. The House approved the committee's recommendation to propose the amendment to the Senate and ordered a third reading.
The bill includes a clause clarifying that nothing in the section is intended to prohibit compliance with federal laws that require information sharing with the U.S. government.
