At a School Board meeting Wednesday night, half a dozen Seattle teachers, parents and community members shared stories about how the prior day’s shelter-in-place orders, in response to unconfirmed reports of ICE activity, were disruptive and stressful.
Speakers painted a picture of anxiety rising around ICE activity for families and children, saying they still had little clarity about what actually occurred. The district also released a statement Wednesday evening confirming school officials “did not observe any ICE presence at or near SPS campuses yesterday. The district monitored conditions throughout the day and remains alert to community concerns.”
Mercer International Middle School, Aki Kurose Middle School, Cleveland STEM High School and Maple Elementary sheltered in place out of “an abundance of caution,” according to the district. Officials acknowledged that while other schools took precautions, they mistakenly reported Dearborn Park International and Beacon Hill International were sheltering in place.
Shelter in place means all exterior doors of the school building are locked and students remain inside and don’t do any outdoor activities. Unlike a lockdown, classes continue inside as normal.
The exact tip or tips about ICE that led to the schools’ response remained unclear Wednesday.
“People were scared yesterday, but also relieved to know that the school will make the decision to keep my kid safe,” District 7 Director Jen LaVallee said before the meeting.
District policy outlines when principals should order a school to shelter in place.
“Principals are the incident commander during emergencies at their building, and they typically make decisions in consultation with SPS Safety and Security, using established district emergency procedures,” the statement continued.
Interim Superintendent Fred Podesta addressed the shelters in place at the start of the meeting, spelling out how the district does not grant access to buildings or records to immigration enforcement unless SPS legal counsel verifies a judicial warrant or court order. Staff are trained to meet immigration agents at the door, request credentials and deny entry until a legal review is complete.
“Responding to unconfirmed reports is a place where we need to serve principals better who have been left making decisions at the building level, and that has always served us well in the place for other law enforcement activity that occurs in neighborhoods because usually there are hard facts,” Podesta said. “In this case, there (was) a lot of information flying around and folks are having to make decisions without consensus-building and risk assessment.”
“As of now, we have had no confirmation of any reports or activity near any of our buildings,” Podesta added. “But the word was out, and I don’t think we have given school leaders all the tools they need to deal with that ambiguity, so we are going to work hard to correct that.”
A special education educator said during public comment with tears in her eyes that most of her students did not come to school Wednesday.
She urged the district to make sure students know their legal rights and feel safer, so they have more capacity to learn.
“The situation with immigration is impacting the little ones and their families despite their race,” another speaker, Gloria Ramirez, told the school board through an interpreter. “There is confusion in the spaces with the kids and families, because sometimes they don’t know what is going on or why they can’t go out.”
The district is making sure counselors, social workers, nurses and family support workers are available for students. Families can also contact the city of Seattle’s Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Rapid Response line (844-724-3737). On Tuesday, teachers reassured students that they were safe and explained that learning would continue indoors.
Katie Hannig, a spokesperson at the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, said each school district has a plan for safety measures, and when they are called upon and activated is an individual decision.
Large urban school districts across the country have at times considered remote learning options for families fearful of ICE agents. A spokesperson for the district said they aren’t considering a remote option and feel their schools are some of the safest places for kids.
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