On the wall outside of social studies teacher Michele Bollinger’s second-floor classroom, students can find a folder full of small slips of neon green paper. One side is titled “Know Your Rights Card” and the other “Tarjeta de Derechos.”
“I am exercising my Fifth Amendment right under the US Constitution to remain silent,” the first line reads, “my right to refuse to answer your questions and my right to refuse to sign anything until I consult an attorney.”
Since January, when the Trump administration granted immigration agents the jurisdiction to enter and perform arrests at schools—a previously protected location—Jackson-Reed students have felt uncertain, fearful, and in-the-dark about how to proceed.
“I think we have a lot of our Latino students not coming to school because of fear of being taken out of school,” said a JR staff member who asked not to be named. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher Camilo Cruz said he noticed an initial decrease in attendance in his classroom that has since slowly reversed.
Of the school’s approximately 1,800 students, 26 percent identify as Hispanic/Latino, according to DCPS data. “If stuff were to happen to them, I’m sure Jackson-Reed would just fall apart,” said a freshman who asked not to be named.
Teachers and staff members told The Beacon that DCPS and the JR administration have not issued immigration enforcement response guidance to staff. A DCPS spokesperson and Principal Sah Brown both declined to comment. However, the DCPS spokesperson referred to DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s guidelines issued in January called “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Immigration Enforcement in Schools.”
In the absence of official guidelines, Bollinger took it upon herself to provide students with information about expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) powers. Bollinger said that she googled ways to help undocumented students and found the cards on the American Federation of Teachers website.
“I appreciate the fact that I’ve been able to have it up on the wall now and nobody has asked to take it down. I take that as a culture of support and acknowledgement,” Bollinger told The Beacon.
“DCPS has not responded in the way that I would support,” she said. “I think that there is a tendency in this moment, out of fear—and I understand the fear—to not want to draw attention to yourself by speaking out, and to me that looks like complying ahead of time and giving up in advance, and history shows us that is a mistake.”
Cruz has also tried to personally support his ESOL students. “When [immigration policies] are in our conversations, what I try to do, as a human being, is help students ease their anxiety with words of love and kindness,” he said. He has also tried to teach lessons with themes of resilience and empathy through the course material he selects.
School districts around the DMV have issued statements regarding the protection of their students. Montgomery County Public Schools posted on their website that they are “committed to ensuring that all students feel safe and welcome in our schools, regardless of immigration status.” Alexandria City Public Schools sent out resources for educators, school support staff, counselors, social workers, families, and communities.
Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House II issued a video statement on January 28. “Our support of our diverse community is unwavering,” he said. House emphasized the importance of being prepared and directed viewers to a resource page on the school district’s website.
In contrast, DCPS’s immigration guidance has not been updated on its website since 2016.
One school supporting its community in concrete ways is the bilingual school Oyster-Adams. Principal Carolina Brito said she has taken DCPS’s immigration guidance and added information from Montgomery County and other schools and districts around the country.
In addition, in early January, Oyster hosted a Know Your Rights event in partnership with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, which provides legal services to immigrants.
Though Oyster’s initial fear was ICE showing up at the front door, Brito told The Beacon that the school’s focus has shifted. “The way it’s playing out in DC right now, is how do we support families when ICE comes to the workplace? If you see ICE on the way to school, who’s gonna pick up your kid?” she said.
When engaging with the community and students, Brito said that the feeling of fear is palpable. “We have to be mindful that even if they’re not at our door, it still has an impact,” she said. “The air we breathe in DC is full of fear and anxiety.”
