Tensions rose at a West Harvey Dixmoor Elementary District 147 meeting Monday as the board attempted to assuage concerns over potential immigration enforcement at its schools, including a recent report of a teacher making a targeted comment about deportations.
Interim Superintendent Creg Williams presented the district’s immigration guidelines and procedures, which included using measures in place to protect those threatened by potential raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Illinois State Board of Education released general immigration enforcement guidelines for schools across the state to prepare for any related incidents.
Williams told parents federal immigration officials will not be allowed to enter any schools without a warrant. He said the district is working to tighten security and will continue to ensure all visitors go through a process that includes automatic background checks.
“We understand the anxiety from some parents and some community members — even from some family and friends of mine,” Williams said. “Some days they don’t want to send children to school, but we need to let our community know that their children are safe here. We are not allowing people to come into our buildings and just interview or pull students out.”
Despite having to wait 90 minutes while the board met privately in executive session, community members filled the 25 seats with others lining the perimeter of the small meeting room.
Some voiced concerns about anti-immigrant rhetoric in district schools, perceived lack of support for students and parents left frightened since targeted operations by immigration enforcement agents began in the Chicago area last week.
Since President Donald Trump took office and began action toward deportation of undocumented immigrants, the district has only seen a slight decrease in student attendance, despite concerns that parents might keep their children home from school.
Williams said aside from Monday’s national Day Without Immigrants protest that encouraged immigrants and community members to stay home from work and school and refrain from shopping in protest of mass deportations, the district has only seen an average of 10 to 15 additional absences over the past week.
While Williams stressed the importance of regularly communicating updated information about immigration protocol to students, staff and parents, some attendees complained officials have not responded to concerns.
Guadalupe Gutierrez, who said she has multiple family members in the district, spoke out after complaining that a teacher, during class time, held up a newspaper with a story about potential mass deportations under Trump and said ‘I can’t wait for this to happen.’” Gutierrez said she did not receive any response from district officials about or any disciplinary action taken against the teacher.
“These people go to school to learn, and they’re scared,” Gutierrez said. “If we don’t defend our kids, who will?”
Gutierrez and Lizzie Welch-Aguiniga, who brought her two young children to the meeting with her, said they were upset the district did not provide a translator to help another district parent, who does not speak fluent English, deliver public comment. Welch-Aguiniga ended up explaining the other parent’s concerns to the board.
“This is a very diverse district — there should be translators for her,” Welch-Aguiniga said.
The population of District 147, which includes the Lincoln Early Learning Center, Martin Luther King Elementary and Rosa Parks Middle School, is 36% Hispanic or Latino, with 14% of people speaking English “less than well,” according to 2018 to 2022 data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The community’s median household income hovers around $37,000, the dashboard says.
Board meetings are generally scheduled at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at the district office, 191 West 155th Place, Harvey.
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