Should CMS tell parents if ICE is near a school? District hasn’t clarified plans
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- CMS has not defined when it will notify parents about ICE activity nearby campuses.
- CMS requires warrants for on-campus ICE actions and contacts parents.
- Advocates urge CMS to set clear notification policy and expand trauma services.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has not clarified its policy for notifying parents about Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers being on or near campus following demands from advocates that the district does more to protect students.
On Sept. 10, The Charlotte Observer asked CMS to clarify under what circumstances parents would be notified if ICE officers were confirmed to be active near one of its more than 180 campuses. The Observer has followed up on its request multiple times and received no answer to the question.
It’s not just hypothetical: ICE detained a CMS parent near the drop-off line for Charlotte East Language Academy on May 12. At the time, CELA Principal Sarah Lang confirmed in a message to parents that ICE “activity occurred near our school’s drop-off line earlier today.”
CMS held a back-to-school news briefing Aug. 19, where school district leaders answered questions about the 2025-26 school year. And CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill seemingly answered the question about what CMS planned to do.
“It would be very presumptuous for us to look at a vehicle and assume who they are or what they may be doing, so we would not interject ourselves into any law enforcement that’s not actually happening on our campus,” Hill said. “So, if there’s ICE activity in the area, we wouldn’t contact families because if there is just any police activity in the area, we wouldn’t contact families.”
But CMS did notify families after ICE officers detained the parent near campus May 12, and the district also often notifies parents in the event of a school lockdown, which can be triggered by a crime or police activity either on-campus or in its surrounding area. For example, Ashley Park PreK-8 in West Charlotte was placed on lockdown in March due to a police investigation.
Should CMS notify parents?
Notifying parents of ICE activity near schools could get complicated. How close to a school warrants a notification? But, students and families could find themselves at risk if left in the dark, said Maryann Ruiz, a community organizer for Carolina Migrant Network, which provides legal support and organizes community advocacy for immigrants in the Carolinas.
Ruiz has heard from families who are afraid to take their children to school. She said activity within school zones might be appropriate to notify families about, but she understands the challenges with clearly defining boundaries.
“We believe that CMS should establish a clear policy to make it known about ICE activity within a specific radius,” Ruiz said. “I think it’s something that CMS should be more open to discussing in the school board meetings and have it be a community discussion.”
She also pointed out that CMS sometimes notifies parents and secures schools due to threats outside of campuses, which can involve law enforcement activity.
“If something is happening where there is police activity, sometimes schools do get shut down, and parents do get notified,” Ruiz said. “It’s the same sort of impact, why not tell parents?”
In its initial email, The Charlotte Observer asked CMS some clarifying questions: If CMS were able to confirm that ICE agents were present near one of its schools around drop-off or pick-up, for example, would it notify parents if agents were within a certain radius of the school? Or would it not notify parents under any circumstances unless ICE agents were physically on a CMS campus? Why or why not?
CMS has responded that it will provide information when it is available. But there’s been no answer seven weeks later.
What happens if an agent comes onto campus?
CMS has defined specific protocols for staff if ICE agents come onto a campus. Agents are required to have a valid warrant or subpoena, or else principals must ask them to leave campus, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement section of CMS’ policy on interactions with law enforcement. If they refuse to leave, principals are to call Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department.
If agents present a valid warrant or subpoena, it must be reviewed by the district’s Office of General Counsel, and principals are instructed to contact a student’s parents so they can be present during any interview with a student that agents wish to conduct. If parents cannot be present, CMS policy instructs principals to be present themselves so no child is questioned without an adult.
However, ICE agents are allowed in public areas of the school such as school parking lots, school lobbies and waiting areas, after the Trump administration withdrew federal guidance designating schools as “sensitive spaces” protected from ICE enforcement activities in January.
“We’re going to follow all state and federal guidelines as we are required, and we’re going to continue to protect the privacy of our students,” Hill said in August. “So, in terms of contacting families, it depends. When folks need to be contacted, we’ll contact them, but we’re certainly not going to make any thoughts or reach out about any police activity that may be happening around our campus.”
Community reactions
Following the east Charlotte parent’s detention in May, community members have spoken at CMS board meetings, demanding the district do more to protect students and families.
At the June 6 board meeting, community organizers and members of the CELA Parent-Teacher Association called for the district to provide trauma-informed training to faculty and staff and allow organizations to distribute “Know Your Rights” information to CMS families.
“I believe that educators have a moral responsibility to ensure that students feel safe, valued and supported, regardless of where anyone stands on immigration policy,” Sara Kay Mooney, a member of the Charlotte East Language Academy’s parent-teacher association and former CMS teacher, told the board. “This requires giving educators the tools and support to respond when students or their families are living in fear due to deportation threats or the trauma of family separation.”
Ruiz said advocates are still calling for these interventions, as well as expanding mental health services for students.
“I think CMS would benefit from creating a very clear notification protocol because it would reduce fear and really build trust,” she said. “It would ensure all students, regardless of background or immigration status, will feel supported, safe and welcome.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
