Amid growing fears that the administration of US President Donald Trump will start raids on illegal migrants in schools, heads of educational institutions across the country are trying to convince parents that it is safe to send their children to school, writes The Washington Post.

The publication cites an estimate by analysts at the Migration Policy Institute, according to which there are 733,000 school-age children in the United States without the necessary documents and even more who were born on the territory of the country, but whose parents do not have permission to stay. Children in the U.S. have had a legal right to a free education regardless of their immigration status since a 1982 Supreme Court decision.

Anxiety is growing in many cities over Trump’s promise to deport millions of undocumented migrants, something he has repeatedly said even before taking office. This week, the Trump administration said it would not require immigration agents to avoid “sensitive locations,” including schools, hospitals and churches.

County officials, fearing that many parents will stop letting their children go to school, county officials have begun making them aware of local rules that are designed to counter or mitigate federal policies. Some have emphasized that they will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to show a court order before they can enter school grounds and access student records.

“I’m trying to convince parents that the safest place for their children is our schools,” said Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.

His district began sending information to families in eight different languages before the inauguration so parents know their rights and is working with advocacy groups. In November, the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution saying they would not help ICE with immigration enforcement. California and New York passed similar measures.

At the same time, a number of districts did not begin to give any guarantees to immigrant families, writes AP.

In Georgia, teachers at Georgia Fugees Academy, a charter school (combining elements of private and public schools), learned that even students and families in the country legally are intimidated by Trump’s proposals to deport millions of migrants and restrict the rights of non-citizens.

“They’re not even facing deportation and they’re still scared,” said her spokeswoman Luma Mufleh.

Some schools have changed their exam schedules so students don’t miss important tests.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *