Jan. 30, 2025
Bexley Schools respect the right of all students, regardless of their immigration status, to attend school and we are committed to protecting the rights of our students, families, and staff and to providing a safe learning environment for all students.
In light of the recent federal executive order regarding immigration laws and rights, we want to share how Bexley Schools would handle federal law enforcement arriving at our schools to interview students.
Per the provisions of Bexley Board of Education Policy JFG-R, the Bexley City School district does not permit law enforcement interrogations on school property without parent/guardian consent. An exception would be for cases in which a school official has made an independent determination that reasonable grounds exist for conducting an interrogation during school hours.
The Board policy also requires parents/guardians to be contacted before an interview takes place and for a school administrator to be present during any law enforcement questioning.
Further, if law enforcement presents a judicial warrant to school officials, then we must comply with the warrant. However, even with a warrant, we must contact parents/guardians before law enforcement questioning.
It is important to note that Bexley’s Board policy specifically states, “The schools have legal custody of students during the school day and during hours of approved extra-curricular activities. It is the responsibility of the school administration to try to protect each student under its control.”
In addition, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts school officials’ sharing of personally identifiable information included in students’ educational records without the consent of a parent/guardian. We take this responsibility seriously and will work to ensure law enforcement does not infringe upon our students’ safety and security while on school property during school hours. We have reviewed protocol with school administrators on how to handle possible encounters.
Please contact your student’s school principal if you have questions, or send a message to [email protected].