Providence schools outline SOPs after federal guidance on warrants and immigration; district updates enrollment and FERPA practices

Providence Public Schools legal staff briefed the board on recent legal guidance and the district’s operational response, stressing new standard operating procedures, front‑office scripts and a chain of command for verifying warrants and protecting student records.

Joanna Lara, who led the district’s review of the recent attorney general and RIDE guidance, told the board that access to non‑public school areas (classrooms, restricted hallways and campuses during sessions) should be allowed only with a judicial warrant from a federal district or magistrate judge. Lara said administrative warrants, notices to appear and subpoenas are not judicial warrants and do not on their own authorize access to non‑public areas or education records.

The district has revised SOPs, created Q&As for front‑office staff and trained building administrators in a “train‑the‑trainer” model. Lara described a chain of command: building staff contact the superintendent’s office, which contacts legal counsel to verify any warrant and to direct next steps before allowing access. The registration office was retrained to avoid asking families about immigration status and to accept alternate proofs of residency; district staff reiterated that FERPA protections continue to govern student records and that directory information will be opt‑in for release to third parties.

Legal staff and school leaders said the district also prepared guidance for athletic events, field trips and transportation, and has established emergency contact protocols for students whose caregivers may be detained. Board members and community speakers asked for clarity on how those SOPs will be implemented on the ground; legal counsel said the district has trained administrators and front‑desk staff and committed to deploy counsel if officials arrive at a school.