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The head of the nation’s largest school system offered her first direct communication to families on Wednesday about how schools should handle visits from federal immigration authorities following days of confusion and mixed messages from Mayor Eric Adams.
In a letter to families posted on the city’s website, New York City schools Chancellor Melisssa Aviles-Ramos emphasized that the Education Department’s policies have not changed, that schools do not collect information about students’ immigration status, and that federal immigration officials are not allowed to access schools without a valid legal order.
“New York City Public Schools is dedicated to protecting the right of every student to attend public school, regardless of immigration status, national origin, or religion,” Aviles-Ramos wrote. “Our policies remain the same, and I encourage you to continue to send your children to school.”
The chancellor’s direct communication with families comes amid confusion over shifting guidance to city agencies about how they should respond to visits from federal immigration officials and other non-local law enforcement. Some families have been so fearful about possible law enforcement visits that they’ve been keeping their kids home from school.
Generally, the city’s policy forbids employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials unless they have a valid warrant. But a January memo first reported by the news site Hell Gate last week cleared the way for officials to grant access if they “reasonably feel threatened or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you.” That raised concerns among many observers that immigration officials could have easier access to a wide range of facilities, including schools and shelters that house migrants.
Education Department officials were slow to say whether the new guidance applied to the school system, but city officials clarified on Tuesday that it does not.
The city’s teachers union blasted Adams and the shifting guidance in an open letter released Wednesday. Citing Adams’ overtures to President Donald Trump, whose administration moved to drop corruption charges against the mayor this week, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew called the changing policy “a selfish political ploy with New York City students, educators, and school communities left paying the price.
“Educators have worked hard to calm their students' fears and to share accurate information about their rights,” wrote Mulgrew. “All that work was upended last week when your administration sent out a new memo outlining how ICE agents could be admitted to many public buildings.”
City Hall spokesperson Allison Maser pushed back against Mulgrew’s letter, emphasizing the January memo did not apply to the Education Department and was sent by the corporation counsel, which represents the city in legal cases, rather than City Hall.
“As Mayor Adams has stated over and over again, everyone should feel comfortable sending their children to school, seeking medical care, or reporting crimes, regardless of their immigration status,” Maser wrote. “It’s unfortunate that this one union boss is choosing to play politics as he spreads fear among the city’s immigrant families with this letter.”
Meanwhile, some parent leaders remain frustrated that city education leaders have still not sent out a systemwide message on another aspect of Trump’s education agenda: his effort to curtail how schools support gender nonconforming students and teach about racism.
Asked at several recent parent town halls about Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order targeting “radical indoctrination,” Aviles-Ramos reaffirmed the Education Department’s support for LGBTQ students. Spokesperson Nicole Brownstein previously told Chalkbeat the Education Department remains “steadfast in our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment.”
But for some panicked parents of transgender and nonbinary students, the city’s efforts have fallen far short – and several parent leaders are now making their own efforts to fill the communication void.
After receiving multiple letters from parents of gender nonconforming kids begging for additional support, Antonia Ferraro Martinelli, the president of the Community Education Council in Brooklyn’s District 15 decided to send out her own letter pledging to push back against the executive order.
“In the absence of statements from [New York City Public Schools] I am compelled to respond to concerns about the executive orders,” she wrote in a letter to district parents Wednesday morning, which was co-signed by seven other members of the council. “I will continue to be clear with the [Education Department] leadership that District 15 families expect them to resist attacks on students and teachers’ civil rights, human rights, and First Amendment rights.”
The Community Education Council in Brooklyn’s District 13 is also set to consider a resolution opposing the executive order at a meeting later this month, according to a council member.
Ferraro Martinelli said that as a parent volunteer on a body with limited power, she “should not be the spokesperson … speaking to these federal issues.”
But “there’s been radio silence from [New York City Public Schools], and our parents want to be assured at this point, I guess by anybody,” she said.
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org
