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Teachers and parents urge school board to adopt "safe zone" resolution and clarify immigration-response procedures
Summary
Public commenters at the March 10 Chesterfield County School Board meeting urged adoption of a National Education Association-style "safe zone" resolution to protect immigrant students, requested a flowchart for staff on immigration emergencies, and a parent raised longstanding special-education compliance concerns citing an OAG opinion.
During the public-comment period on March 10, several Chesterfield educators and a parent urged the school board to take clearer, more concrete steps to protect students and staff from disruptions tied to immigration enforcement.
Rob Hamill, president of the Chesterfield Education Association, described growing union membership and discussed collective bargaining developments at the General Assembly; he said bargaining is intended to improve working conditions without imposing unrealistic financial demands on the division. Hamill told the board that bargaining "does not intend to raise taxes or bankrupt the county" and that many bargaining outcomes cost districts little or nothing.
Two teachers spoke directly about immigration enforcement in schools and asked the board to adopt the National Education Association's safe-zone resolution. Jacob York, a science teacher at Middleton High School, outlined core elements he said the resolution should include: a declaration that district schools be safe spaces; creation of a rapid-response team within 30 days to prepare for incidents when a minor is deprived of adult supervision due to federal immigration enforcement; a requirement that law-enforcement requests to enter a school be routed to the superintendent's office for review; and a review of record-keeping policies to avoid collecting students' immigration status. "If staff don't understand the supports we're providing," he said, "our students and families definitely will not understand."
Micah Hadley, an English-language teacher at Midlothian High School, echoed York and asked the board for "a clear flowchart of what to do in an immigration emergency" and clearer guidance on what counts as legal justification for school-entry by ICE or other law enforcement. Hadley said staff and students have not received consistent communications about procedures and protections and that teachers fear acting without clear instructions.
During comments from a parent, Wendy Little delivered a forceful critique of the district's handling of her son's special-education matter, asserting the district failed to comply with state directives and cited an Office of the Attorney General (OAG) opinion she said allows the Board of Education to withhold special-education funds from a noncompliant division. Little demanded corrective action and an appeal process be honored; the chair or clerk called her time expired before a board response was offered.
Superintendent Dr. Murray, later in the meeting, said the district maintains a "robust web presence" with information about immigration-enforcement guidance and noted administrators have received training on legally compliant responses. He also said the division had previously issued messages on the topic and would continue communications.
The speakers requested two concrete outcomes: adoption of a safe-zone resolution and district-issued operational materials (a rapid-response team and a staff flowchart) that clarify who authorizes access by law enforcement and what steps staff should follow during an immigration-related event.
