Detroit Teachers and Community Urge Update to Sanctuary Policy

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) Dozens of teachers and community members urged the Detroit Public Schools Community District this month to update its 2019 Sanctuary District policy amid reports of increased immigration enforcement near schools and growing fear among undocumented families. The renewed push asks The district to expand training beyond administrators, add protections for students outside school buildings, and provide counseling, legal referrals, and safe transportation options for families who are afraid to travel during enforcement activity.

Parents and staff said these steps are needed now, pointing to arrests near schools in recent years and warning that fear keeps some children home.

Current Sanctuary District policy: what it does now

The district’s current rules already set strict limits on contact with federal agents inside schools. Under the Sanctuary District policy:

• Staff must refer any request by immigration enforcement agents to enter school property or access student data to the superintendent’s office and general counsel before allowing access.
• Staff must quickly alert the superintendent’s office and general counsel if approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• Staff are directed to try to contact parents or guardians of students named in any inquiry.

Community members say these protections work inside buildings, but more is needed to keep students safe on their way to and from class.

Calls for expanded training and staff coverage

In January 2025, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti announced the district would train:

1. Principals
2. Assistant principals
3. Guidance counselors
4. Attendance agents
5. Security guards

He also said the district would pursue “Know Your Rights” sessions for families worried about immigration enforcement.

Speakers at recent public meetings welcomed that plan but asked for all staff to receive the same training, including:

• Teachers and classroom aides
• Office workers
• Bus drivers
• Contractors

Reasons given:

• Frontline staff are often the first to see incidents at school doors.
• Staff want clear guidance and a single chain of command for responding to enforcement activity.

Requests to extend protections beyond school buildings

Advocates argued the school system can do more outside school walls. They asked for:

• In-school counseling to support students affected by family stress or encounters with enforcement.
• A network of legal service referrals to connect families with immigration and legal help.
• More transportation options for families who fear leaving their neighborhoods or passing known enforcement areas.

Concrete suggestions included:

• Ride-share support or district-arranged pickup points so students can reach school without parents crossing risky areas.
• Additional help in language-acquisition classrooms for newly arrived students who need structured support.

Federal and district frameworks

The district says it follows state guidance and federal rules that treat schools as “protected areas.” Federal policy under the United States Department of Homeland Security advises that enforcement actions should be limited in or near schools except in rare, urgent cases involving public safety or a court order.

• DHS outlines these protections in its Guidelines for Immigration Enforcement at or Near Protected Areas, explained on its website: Department of Homeland Security.

The district points to this framework to support its internal protocol and to reassure families that schools are intended to be safe spaces.

Community concerns and real-world impacts

Community members say conditions have changed since 2019. They described:

• Cases—often spread by word of mouth—of arrests near campuses in the broader region.
• Bus stops where parents hesitate to wait.
• A rise in absences from students whose families fear contact with authorities on the way to school.

While individual incidents can be hard to verify, staff tracking daily participation report clear effects on attendance and student stress. Teachers noted parents routinely ask simple but urgent questions:

• Is drop-off safe?
• Which entrance is best?

They say the current policy does not fully answer those practical concerns.

“Know Your Rights” training is a near-term step the district can scale with help from trusted community groups, Superintendent Vitti said.

Vitti added the district’s legal team will review how staff should respond if federal agents show up near, but not on, school grounds, and how to handle requests for information that may come through less formal channels.

Community members welcomed the pledge but pressed for a timeline, warning that families need clarity now.

How this fits with broader trends

The push to refine the Sanctuary District policy aligns with broader moves by school systems trying to balance student privacy, federal law, and local trust. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, school districts across several cities have refreshed internal rules to match “protected areas” guidance and to warn staff against sharing student information without a signed, court-ordered warrant.

Advocates in Detroit emphasized:

• Student records (addresses, schedules) should be guarded carefully.
• Any contact with outside agencies must go through the superintendent’s office and general counsel, as the policy states.

District stance and next steps

The Detroit Public Schools Community District has emphasized it will continue to protect the right to a free public education regardless of a child’s immigration status. The district says it will maintain the core rule that:

• Staff should not let immigration officers onto school property or into student databases without prior approval from leadership and a verified legal basis.

The key questions now:

• How far to extend training and services?
• Whether the district can fund transportation supports that advocates say could ease daily fear?

Any formal changes will come to the school board for a vote, Vitti said.

Community priorities for meaningful change

Families and educators urged the district to treat the moment as more than a paperwork exercise. They want:

• Clear steps for staff to follow if agents wait on the sidewalk outside a school.
• Plans to help students who arrive shaken by an encounter on their commute.
• Connections to local legal clinics so parents can plan for worst-case scenarios.

Supporters argued that keeping children in class should be the guiding metric: if fear drives absences, measures that reduce fear directly serve learning.

The practical test ahead

As pressure builds, the district faces a practical test: translating broad promises into actions that reach classrooms, hallways, and bus stops. Community requests focus on measures that meet families where they live:

• Training that covers every staff member
• Procedures that extend beyond the front door
• Simple tools like rides and counseling that keep students focused on school rather than fear

The district has signaled it is ready to act within the law. The coming weeks will show how those steps reshape daily life for students who just want to get to class and learn in peace while their families worry about immigration enforcement beyond the school fence.