Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School Board members are considering supporting ICE and other law enforcement agencies on the heels of students walking out of the classroom last week to protest the federal deportation efforts.
At the same time, officials are looking to comply with a new state law by considering a policy to prevent immigration officers from entering non-public areas of their campuses or accessing student records without a court order.
It comes amid a series of protests and school walk outs this year across Orange County including at El Dorado and Valencia High School on Friday against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
[Read: Students Walk Out Across Orange County Protesting ICE Raids]
At their 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Placentia Yorba Linda School District Trustees will decide on a resolution in support of federal immigration officers and other law enforcement officers at the request of Trustee Leandra Blades and a new board policy on responding to immigration enforcement.
Trustee Marilyn Anderson directed questions to Lorely Meza – a spokesperson for the district.
Meza said the district aims to create a safe environment for students regardless of immigration status.
“District policies are aligned with applicable laws and education codes, prohibiting immigration enforcement officers from entering non-public areas of school campuses or accessing student records without a valid judicial warrant, subpoena, or court order,” she wrote in a Monday email.
Meza added the district does not know how many students walked out last week.
The rest of the school board trustees did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Blades and the board have landed in the spotlight for a host of controversial policies in recent years, including banning critical race theory, adopting a parent notification policy, violating the state’s open meeting law and sparking concerns from parents about book bans.
Her latest resolution states the board will commit to cooperating with all public safety partners and that classrooms are not for political activism but education, adding the board will reject “fear-mongering or politicization of public safety issues.”
“The Placentia-Yorba Linda Board of Education affirms its support for local law enforcement officers and federal immigration officers who carry out their duties professionally and lawfully,” reads the resolution.
Meanwhile, the proposed immigration policy stemming from state law would prohibit staff from collecting information on immigration status and sharing information about a student or employee with immigration enforcement officers without a judicial warrant.
It would also prohibit staff from allowing an ICE officer to enter a bus or nonpublic area of a school without a judicial warrant. Under the policy, staff would be prohibited from obstructing an officer who enters the area nonetheless.
The policy would also allow the superintendent to train staff on what to do if immigration enforcement agents tried to enter certain areas of schools and tried to get information on students or staff.
It comes amid changes to state law including Assembly Bill 49 approved last year that prohibits districts from allowing immigration officers to enter a bus and certain parts of a school and requires school districts to adopt similar policies by March 1, 2026.
The changes come months after immigration enforcement raids ramped up in Orange County last year leading school districts across the region to polish and freshen up their protocols on what to do if ICE agents show up to a school.
[Read: Orange County Schools Prep for ICE]
Since June, local officials in some cities across Orange County have launched assistance funds to help people impacted by the raids with rent, groceries and legal defense aid as well as launched know your rights tabs on their websites.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.