Schools prepare for ICE encounters

Pittsburgh-area school districts are moving to reassure families and protect students as anxiety spreads through local communities over stepped-up federal immigration enforcement.

In recent weeks, several districts have strengthened policies and procedures outlining how staff should respond if approached by federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Aliquippa in Beaver County last week issued guidance to school bus drivers on how to respond if confronted by immigration authorities. Penn Hills is refining new procedures around what to do if law enforcement comes to schools with a warrant. Riverview on Monday passed a new policy directing the superintendent to lead a response if staffers are approached by federal agents.

And Gateway families are pushing for stronger language to ensure kids are safe.

“It’s just a scary thing, and I would like my district to tell me that my kids are protected, flat-out tell me this is how we’re going to respond,” Gateway parent Nicole Scott said.

The districts’ actions were largely spurred by the Jan. 29 arrest of Jose Flores, 47, of Oakmont, as he was buckling his 8-year-old daughter in the car to take her to school. Mr. Flores, who had no criminal record and who had a work visa, was released from detention Feb. 7.

But his arrest sent shockwaves through area communities already fearful after seeing raids and intense community pushback nationwide. In Pittsburgh, families were concerned ICE agents were at Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, a claim that was false, a district spokesperson told the Post-Gazette on Thursday. And Ms. Scott said her daughter’s friend from Colombia comes to school nervous and crying.

Across Pennsylvania, districts are seeing “significant absences” as families become too fearful to leave their homes, said Kristina Moon, senior attorney at the Education Law Center.

Part of the uncertainty, Ms. Moon said, is that districts were previously protected under a federal “sensitive locations” policy, which instructed ICE to refrain from arresting immigrants at or near places such as schools, houses of worship and hospitals.

But that policy was revoked by the Trump administration in January 2025.

Even so, Ms. Moon said, districts remain legally obligated to educate students regardless of immigration status — a right established by the 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe and reinforced by Pennsylvania law, which prohibits schools from inquiring about a child’s immigration status during enrollment.

Given that, Ms. Moon said, “We think it’s really important that all of our public schools make public their commitment to ensuring all students safe access to public school.”

That should include protocols such as identifying a school safety team trained in how to respond to immigration agents trying to enter a school for student data. Teams should also monitor immigration enforcement efforts happening near a school, if officers are approaching a school bus or bus stop and if a student or a caregiver is detained.

The goal, Ms. Moon said, is to ensure families “can trust that their schools are going to protect their student’s rights.”

Local reaction

Antonio Paris said news of immigration arrests nationwide had been concerning, but Mr. Flores’ detention made the issue feel closer to home.

Mr. Paris, president of the Riverview School Board who spoke to the Post-Gazette as an individual board member and not representing the majority of the board, drafted a policy that details steps administrators should take if approached by law enforcement. Riverview educates 1,000 students, almost 2% of whom are English language learners.

“We don’t want students and/​or families to feel like they can’t come here and belong, and/​or that they should be worried that information’s going to be given or we’re not going to take the normal, necessary precautions … to protect their children and also themselves,” Mr. Paris said.

The policy requires the superintendent to create step-by-step procedures for responding to law enforcement activity; communicate plans to staff, students and families; and lay out documentation and incident-report requirements.

It applies to local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as with Children, Youth, and Families Services. It also says the district will not deny enrollment or educational services to any student based on immigration status, and ensures that student education records are protected by federal laws concerning student privacy. The records will not be disclosed without parental consent, judicial warrant or other court orders.

During Monday’s meeting, district Solicitor Falco Muscante noted that while Riverview already has a policy governing relationships with law enforcement — as required by the school code — it does not specify how staff should respond if officers arrive at school buildings.

Now, Mr. Paris said, the administration has a consistent response plan if approached by ICE.

“The fear is real and we’re seeing it all around the country,” Mr. Paris said. “I encourage our surrounding districts and boards and communities to start talking about these things, to start working through them.”

Aliquippa officials issued guidelines to school bus drivers stressing that no one is permitted to remove students from a bus or van unless they are with district staff or local police. The Beaver district educates 1,000 students, 6% of whom are English language learners.

Similar guidance was given to teachers and security staff, stating that school officials must ask ICE officers for identification if they approach a school.

If the officers are not there for school business or an appointment “there’s no reason for them to be on school property,” Superintendent Phillip Woods said.

“There was enough concern voiced to me from my staff that I felt it was in my best interest to calm the staff, to let them know that we do have protocol and we’re not just going to allow people to run through the school,” Mr. Woods said.

Training on warrants

Erin Vecchio was at a Forbes Road Career and Technology Center board meeting when concerns were raised about ICE enforcement following the arrest of Mr. Flores. Fearing for families in the Penn Hills School District, where she is board president, Ms. Vecchio reached out to district Solicitor Chelsea Dice to create protocols in case officers come to the school.

Penn Hills has 2,900 students. Of those, 2% are English language learners.

The protocols, which are not yet finished, will educate staff on what to do if local, state or federal officers, including ICE, show up with a warrant.

The first step, Ms. Dice said, is to train staff on different types of warrants. Judicial warrants are signed by a state or federal judge or magistrate and can be used to enter private spaces such as schools. Administrative warrants, often used by ICE, are signed by an immigration officer or immigration judge but do not give authority to enter spaces not otherwise open to the public.

“My position is we always operate and follow the procedure for a judicial warrant,” Ms. Dice said. “It’s the administrative warrant of, wait a minute, we don’t technically need to allow you into our school.”

From there, board members need to determine if officers with a valid warrant would be moved to a certain room in the school while appropriate people are gathered to handle the situation.

It’s up to the board if they want to put the protocol into a policy, Ms. Dice said. Officials will also create procedures for interacting with immigration officers during school pickup and drop-off.

Gateway, where 3% of the district’s 3,500 students are English language learners, recently reaffirmed a protocol that has been in place for several months. Under those guidelines, staff ensures that any agency coming to a school has a valid warrant. There are also steps for notifying parents and appropriate staff members.

The goal, Ms. Dice, who is also Gateway’s solicitor, said during Monday’s board meeting, is to not disrupt the educational environment.

Still, some want clear language, including Ms. Scott, the Gateway parent, who is pushing for language to specify that the procedures pertain to local, state and federal agents.

“We’re all running on fear right now,” Ms. Scott said. “We’re all running on uncertainty and the toxic environment that we’re living in.”

Staff writer Jacob Geanous contributed to this report.