The Kent School District this week released detailed protocols for staff outlining how to respond if federal immigration authorities arrive on school campuses or if immigration activity is reported near schools.
The district guidance, titled “Immigration Enforcement General Protocols for Staff,” states that its purpose is to provide direction for responding “efficiently and effectively to the presence of immigration authorities on or around KSD schools” while ensuring student and staff safety.
Under the district’s procedures, school staff are expected to follow specific steps during any encounter with federal immigration authorities on school grounds, regardless of the request or nature of the visit.
If immigration officers arrive at a school, staff members are directed to deny immediate building access and ask the individual to wait outside while a building leader or designee is contacted. Any person without a clearly identified purpose should be denied entrance to a school building, according to the document.
Staff are instructed to immediately contact the building leader or designee, who must verify the agency of the individual and not accept or process paperwork. If an officer asks for a specific student, staff are told not to indicate whether the student attends the school. Instead, immigration officials are to be redirected to the Kent School District Administration Center at 12033 SE 256th Street in Kent.
The building leader or designee must report the incident by calling the district hotline at 253 373 5000 and contacting Safety Services at 253 373 7526. Families are to be notified if there is a request for a specific student, but staff are instructed not to indicate or verify that the student attends the school.
The district also states that staff must not provide any information about an individual student, family member, or district employee.
Additional guidance addresses after school and off campus activities. If immigration officers arrive on campus or at any after school or off campus events, staff are directed to call 911, contact Safety Services at 253 373 7526 and notify the Kent School District hotline.
If immigration activity is observed near a school campus and has the potential to impact students, staff, or families, staff are directed to immediately inform the building leader or designee. The district notes that if there is an immediate threat to students, normal safety protocols will be followed.
In communication with students and families, the district instructs employees not to communicate personal political opinions while on school property, not to answer immigration related legal questions or provide legal advice, and not to ask families about their immigration status. Families are to be referred to district supported immigration resources, and the district states that it does not record or share immigration status.
The district encourages students, staff, and families to report safety concerns and emphasizes confirming facts before sharing information to avoid unnecessary panic or confusion.
