Students and families receive packaged meals from Tucson Unified School District workers who are distributing meals along the district's bus routes during closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
TUSD governing board president Natalie Luna Rose said the district is responding to community concerns by strengthening policies already in place — another step following an earlier presidential executive order removing protections from schools against immigration enforcement.
“We're trying to take the steps to protect our kids, their kids, our staff and anybody that comes onto our school campuses,” she said. “We are working as hard as we can to keep their kids safe.”
The addition to the policy also clarifies that prohibiting discrimination based on immigration status does not interfere with complying with federal employment requirements. As well, TUSD already clarified that in order for immigration agents to enter schools they must have a judicial warrant.
There have been no recent incidents of such enforcement in their schools, but Luna Rose says she’s heard from teachers that if law enforcement tried to remove a student for immigration reasons, they would risk arrest to protect their students.
“It's a timely matter, and we've had parents contact us,” she said. “There's been staff who are concerned — what if an ICE agent knocks on the door of their school? Principals looking for guidance. So this just memorializes that and to let the public know and let our community know that we are listening to them, and that we are just as concerned."
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