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Immigration attorney urges Atlanta Board to require judicial warrants before student-record access
Summary
Jessica Stern, an APS parent and immigration attorney, urged the Atlanta Board of Education to tighten district policy (referred to as KMR 1) to require judicial warrants or court orders reviewed by legal counsel before staff grant access to students or records, saying administrative detainers are not sufficient.
Jessica Stern, an Atlanta Public Schools parent and immigration attorney, told the Atlanta Board of Education during the public comment period that the district’s current policy on outside law-enforcement access — referred to in testimony as KMR 1 — still allows administrative detainers and does not require judicial review before staff permit access to a student or a student record.
Stern urged a narrow fix: "The fix is narrow, require a judicial warrant or court order reviewed by legal counsel before anyone reaches a student or their record, and say plainly that detainers are not enough." She said the change would prevent untrained staff from making legal judgments under pressure and urged the board to "finish what you started" to restore trust among immigrant families.
Stern said the concern is urgent for families who fear immigration enforcement; she recounted a local mother whose daughter is now homeschooled because the family fears ICE. She noted community support for stronger protections from groups including the ACLU of Georgia and the Southern Center for Human Rights.
The board did not adopt a change during the meeting; Stern asked members to return with a formal policy amendment that would require a judicial warrant or court order and a legal-review step before any access to students or their records.
