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Residents press Cheltenham board for clear, multilingual 'welcoming' immigration policy
Summary
During public comment, residents urged the district to adopt a more robust welcoming policy on immigration enforcement, asked specific procedural questions submitted three months earlier, and requested multilingual communications; district staff promised follow-up meetings and an effort to issue guidance before school year end.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Cheltenham School Board’s May meeting to press the district for a clearer, more robust policy addressing immigration enforcement at schools and better multilingual communications.
Tom Peterson, a long-time resident, said the district’s February 2025 statement about immigration enforcement left gaps and that his group submitted a draft policy and 11 specific questions three months earlier without receiving a concrete response. He asked, for example, which areas of schools are considered public versus non-public and whether policies and communications are being provided in families’ home languages. "We would most appreciate some action," Peterson said.
Randy Libro, speaking for a neighborhood organization, said parents at bus stops had expressed fear about potential immigration enforcement and that community members were not aware of the February 2025 statement. Amy Frerieded (name as given in public comment) urged the board to back pending state legislation (Senate Bill 1125 and House Bill 2148) that would require clear district procedures for responding to immigration enforcement and protect student privacy.
Pam Albbright urged the district to ensure all students — not only those who are undocumented — feel safe, citing mental-health risks and the need for accessible information in multiple languages.
District staff told speakers they had previously met with representatives from the community group and would reconvene to formalize the draft policy. The board asked Director of Communications Mr. Kaufman to follow up and said staff would attempt to issue a communication to families before the end of the school year.
What residents asked for: a robust district policy that clearly defines public vs. non-public spaces at schools; guarantees on student privacy and staff response to immigration enforcement; explicit multilingual outreach; and clarity on available supports for students who fear attending school.
What the district said it will do: reconvene meetings with the community group, review the submitted draft and questions, and attempt to issue an update or guidance before the school year ends.
