Impact of ICE Actions on Schools

• ⚠️ Superintendent Zena Stenvik from Columbia Heights Public School District describes the profound impact of ICE detentions on her community.
• 🏫 The district experienced hundreds of students learning remotely and dozens of children detained, including the widely publicized case of 5-year-old Liam Ramos.
• 🧠 The pervasive fear has affected all students, with children asking if they will be taken or if their parents will be home.

District's Preparation and Initial Incidents

• 📚 Following the 2024 election, the district partnered with Wilson Law Group to provide "Know Your Rights" presentations and facilitate Delegation of Parental Authority (DOPA) forms.
• 🚨 Staff were trained on how to respond to ICE agents with judicially signed warrants, especially after the sanctuary status of schools was removed.
• 🗓️ In January, ICE agents were seen on campus, leading to the doxing of school board chair Mary Granlin, and a 10-year-old student, Elizabeth, was detained with her mother.

The Detention of Liam Ramos

• 🛑 The day Liam Ramos was detained, three 17-year-old boys were stopped by masked, armed, unidentified agents on their way to high school, with one boy detained.
• 💔 Later that day, Liam was taken despite the presence of neighbors and school officials who offered to take custody, and his father's car was left running.
• 📄 Liam's mother possessed extensive legal immigration paperwork, and his family had no criminal record, contradicting claims about detaining violent criminals.

Community Response and Adjustments

• 🤝 The community mobilized with clergy, city council, and local organizations holding leader meetings and training sessions for over 220 people.
• 🚶‍♀️ Volunteers, teachers, and retired staff now stand guard, drive school vans, and walk students home to ensure their safety from ICE presence.
• 💻 Due to the fear, 800 students transitioned to online learning, despite the district's reluctance to return to virtual education.

A Call for Non-Normalization and Future Lessons

• 📣 Superintendent Stenvik firmly states that the community "can never normalize this behavior," even as they become adept at managing the crisis.
• 💡 She advocates for teaching children the "actual truth" about these events, encouraging them to know their neighbors, speak up, and use their platforms for good.
• 💖 Stenvik emphasizes the strength in diversity and the importance of protecting the most innocent, highlighting the community's support for immigrant populations.