On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated to his second term in office. On the first day, he signed several executive orders targeting various issues he’d promised to deliver on “on day one.” Of the abundant changes, one especially raised questions for many families. On the same day, the Department of Homeland Security changed its policy on making immigration arrests in “sensitive” locations like schools, places of worship, and hospitals. Overturning a decade of precedent, the change allows ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents to conduct enforcement operations in these areas. DHS told officers to use discretion and common sense when making arrests.
To eliminate any confusion regarding the implications of these policy changes and to ensure students continue to feel safe on LBHS’s campus, we spoke to our principal, Dr. Allemann.
LBUSD’s current policy remains the same. Any student living in California has a right to a free education, and the district maintains a commitment to ensuring every student feels safe on campus. Regardless of immigration status, all students can access school counseling resources and the Wellness Center for support. While ICE entering campus is highly unlikely, and they’d be deterred upon arrival, it is understandable that people would feel nervous with these new changes in regulations.
Per California Assembly Bill 699, schools are not to collect information about families’ immigration status unless required by state or federal law. LBUSD Board policy further reinforces this law and allows the school to deter immigration officials from campus. “We have our district and board and CA Assembly Bill policies. We’re going to follow those,” says Dr. Allemann. He outlined the steps he would take if immigration officers requested to see a student. Dr. Allemann would inform the superintendent to notify the School Board. He would request credentials from the officer and immediately inform the student’s parents or guardians. Before releasing any information or the student, the school requires parental consent, a court order, or a judge subpoena. In addition, Dr. Allemann himself would also determine whether it’s appropriate or not to connect a student with law enforcement. If there’s no immediate threat or danger to the school, the response would almost always be “no.”
While there is no specific training yet for campus staff, guidance to enforce district policies and respond appropriately to individuals without lawful access to student information or school grounds has been passed on to administrators and front office staff. Dr. Allemann says the focus is the school district’s identity: “We maintain support for students to be able to get an education here no matter what background they have, no matter where they’re coming from.” He highlights how our campus features strong relationships between staff and students, with many students feeling they have multiple trusted adults at school they can confide in.“We need to continue being connected with our student body. We need to continue being supportive and encouraging of our student body,” stresses Dr. Allemann.
Despite growing unrest surrounding the issue of immigration, the school’s mission remains the same: “Making students feel comfortable on campus.” If you have any further questions, we recommend contacting Dr. Allemann directly.
“There’s a lot of unknown. But what we can stand on is our reputation, our campus culture, and our relationships with people.”
