LAUSD Enhances Safety Measures Amid Immigration Concerns

LAUSD staff and community volunteers working together to ensure student safety outside of a school.

News Summary

In response to rising fears over immigration enforcement, the Los Angeles Unified School District is implementing enhanced safety measures for students. Following a recent incident involving the mistaken detention of a student, the district will establish protective perimeters around over 100 schools. This initiative includes deploying staff members and community volunteers to monitor high-risk areas and ensure safe passage for children to and from school, aiming to provide peace of mind to families amidst ongoing immigration activities.

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is implementing enhanced safety measures to protect students amidst rising concerns over immigration enforcement. In response to a recent incident involving the mistaken detention of a 15-year-old boy with disabilities outside Arleta High School, the district’s police, staff, and community volunteers will establish protective perimeters around at least 100 schools as the new academic year begins. This initiative aims to ensure the safe passage of children to and from school.

This decision follows an alarming episode where immigration agents mistakenly detained a student outside his school, highlighting the fears that many parents, teachers, and staff harbor regarding the safety of students amid growing immigration enforcement activities. Family members intervened during the detention, successfully leading to the boy’s release after a tense standoff. The incident also raised red flags when bullets were reportedly left on the sidewalk by immigration agents, which school police later collected.

In light of these events, LAUSD school board member Kelly Gonez has publicly condemned the incident, describing it as both “reprehensible” and unacceptable. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has pledged to protect vulnerable students and families, announcing a significant expansion of “safe zones” around school campuses. This year, the number of designated “safe passage zones” has increased dramatically, from approximately 40 to over 100.

Beginning on the first day of school, more than 1,000 staff members will be deployed from central and regional offices to assist in areas considered high-risk for immigration enforcement. Community organizers and volunteers from the teachers’ union are also joining the effort to monitor neighborhoods surrounding schools to enhance student safety.

The LAUSD, which covers around 710 square miles and serves approximately 1,000 campuses, is collaborating with local police departments, including those in municipalities like Bell. These local police will focus on monitoring schools and traffic, particularly at crosswalks. While they cannot interfere directly with federal immigration actions, they have committed to notifying parents about any nearby federal activities. Schools have protocols in place to lock down if they receive notice of immigration raids through a communication chain involving various stakeholders.

To further support vulnerable families, LAUSD has conducted 10,000 phone calls and made 800 home visits to provide necessary resources. A family preparedness packet will also be distributed, informing families of their rights and available resources related to immigration enforcement. Additionally, a compassion fund is being created to assist families, including provision for legal aid, while efforts are underway to adjust bus services, particularly for students with disabilities, to ensure their transportation needs are met.

Furthermore, Superintendent Carvalho has assured families that immigration agents require a valid judicial warrant to access students on school premises. Emergency crisis teams will operate after school hours, ready to assist families as needed, thereby reinforcing community safety and support mechanisms.

LAUSD is additionally seeking a buffer zone around schools to bar immigration enforcement an hour before and after school hours. Comprehensive protocols are already in place for handling potential encounters with federal agents, focusing on de-escalation strategies to protect students and maintain a secure environment. Notably, there has been a 7% increase in enrollment for virtual classes, reflecting parents’ concerns about in-person attendance amidst the ongoing threats of immigration enforcement.

The implementation of these measures seeks to provide peace of mind to families and restore confidence in the safety of students attending LAUSD schools, creating an environment where education can occur free from fear.