Croton-Harmon school district issued staff-only guidance last month on how to handle possible ICE entry onto campuses.

Superintendent Stephen Walker told staff that all inquiries by ICE officials must be referred to his office. Detailed instructions about judicial warrants were provided.

The Chronicle has now published a number of articles and opinion pieces about the effects that the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies might have on our community. We reported that Croton-on-Hudson is currently reviewing policies of limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that the village adopted in 2017, and we have also published calls by our local clergy to protect possibly undocumented immigrants who may be our neighbors.

On January 23, we asked the Croton-Harmon school district whether or not it had written policies concerning cooperation with ICE officers who might come onto our school campuses. Our query was immediately converted into a Freedom of Information Law query, and we were told, that same day, that “there are no documents responsive to this request.”

It now turns out that this was apparently not true. The previous day, January 22, school superintendent Stephen Walker had issued just such a guidance to district staff. In an email accompanying the document, Walker included the following statement:

“I understand that some of the recent national-level political discussions regarding Executive Orders and immigration have caused anxiety and unease among some members of our Tiger staff, and among our Tiger students and their families. So it is incumbent upon each of us to make sure that we continue to prioritize the safety of our students, staff, and families while ensuring that we understand and comply with any potential legal requirements.”

The guidance itself, in the form of a pdf document, laid out detailed instructions about what to do if ICE officers came onto campus. These instructions were written in three parts, titled “1. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION OR ACCESS,” “2. PROPER WARRANTS,” and “3. REQUESTS FOR PROOF OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE.”

Walker instructed that all requests for information about students or access to campuses must be directed to the administrator of the building involved, who “will then contact me for direction as to how to proceed.” In bold type, Walker further instructed that “No ICE official should be granted access to our schools without the specific approval of the District Office.”

The second section provided detailed instructions about how to verify that a warrant presented by an ICE officer was a true judicial warrant issued by a court (rather than a so-called ICE “detainer,” which is issued by the agency but not by a court.)

“While the school district is legally obligated to honor valid judicial warrants, verifying their legitimacy can be a complex process,” the guidance stated.

The third section instructed staff to contact Rachel DePaul, the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services, “before providing any documentation or information” about a students. Staff were further instructed to “provide a copy of any subpoena or court order presented” by ICE or other law enforcement to Walker’s office, and not to release any student records without specific instructions from senior district officials.

While we have had no reports of ICE officers operating in Croton-on-Hudson or in our schools, the Trump administration has made clear that neither schools, churches, nor other traditional sanctuaries will be considered “safe havens” for immigrants whom ICE or other authorities suspect of being undocumented.

Nevertheless, in the Hudson Valley and across the country, a number of school districts and officials have indicated that they will limit cooperation with immigration authorities as much as possible.

As this is an ongoing story that could affect our community, the Chronicle will continue to cover it as closely as possible.

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