How Fairfax County Public Schools are responding to Anti-Refugee Policies
Although Fairfax County had known that being a world community would make it the target of anti-immigrant policies when the new administration began, local leaders were not sure what either the breadth or the depth of ICE actions would be in our communities.
Though the new administration and Virginia’s governor have waived the protections afforded schools, places of worship, and medical centers, Fairfax County policy leaders have assured local residents that they will retain the Trust Policy and protections at sensitive places which have been in place since 2021.
Superintendent Dr. Reid has worked with the FCPS staff to develop protocols to assure schools have response plans should direct ICE incursions occur. She has also visited community meetings and events to reassure parents that children will be safe at school. She has openly shared the plan with the FCPS community.
In addition there are multiple other community groups working with local residents to help people understand their rights, and to make necessary arrangements should their lives be impacted by ICE actions.
Included here is an Indivisible Tool Kit, a Basic Know Your Rights card that can be downloaded and printed or placed on your phone.
Should you encounter an ICE action, engagement is not advised, but a few observations can help you be most effective when reporting what you encountered. Think of the acronym SALUTE
S - Size–the number of people involved
A - Activity–what are they doing
L - Location - as precisely as possible
U - Uniform–what kind and what insignia
T - Time
E - Equipment (Vans? weapons? other?)
Fairfax County and other school districts are doing the best they can in these chaotic times to keep students safe and educated. We all should do our part to support our schools as they do this work, and our immigrant neighbors as they are under attack.
4 Public Education has developed a list of resources (below). Please consider reading more about the issue here:
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