Pulaski County Special School District officials share message with families & staff regarding immigration, customs enforcement
District officials shared a letter on Monday with parents and staff clarifying PCSSD policies on customs and immigration enforcement.
'We value our students from different backgrounds and we believe that all students should be able to learn without being afraid,' the district stated. 'We are united in our responsibility to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of every child.'
ICE arrests 956 Sunday as nationwide raids continue
PCSSD officials stated that the district will follow school safety protocols, district policy and state & federal laws, which they said provide guidance on who is allowed to contact students during the school day. The district stated they, 'do not allow people to enter our school buildings without permission and proper clearance.'
Officials said the district is also required by federal law to limit who has access to student documents due to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
The district cites the Supreme Court's ruling in the Plyler v. Doe case, which they note states that a school district can't deny any educational rights to any student, regardless of immigration status.
The letter comes amid a nationwide crackdown on immigration law enforcement by the administration of President Donald Trump.
Schools around the US are weighing responses to possible immigration raids
According to the Associated Press, the administration threw out policies preventing officers enforcing immigration laws from making arrests in sensitive locations like schools or churches.
'In times of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to lean on the strength of PCSSD,' district officials said. 'Together, we can ensure out students feel supported by the District and school community that upholds hope, dignity, and compassion for all.'
The full letter can be read by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mark Hamill gave wife option of two countries they could move to when Trump was re-elected
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has revealed he planned to leave the United States when Donald Trump was re-elected as president in 2024. The 73-year-old, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the iconic sci-fi franchise, gave his wife Marilou Tork – whom he married in 1978 – the choice between relocating to 'London or Ireland'. Hamill's wife, who worked as a dental hygienist and met Hamill while cleaning his teeth, ingeniously convinced her husband not to move countries by suggesting Trump was pushing them out of the US. 'She's very clever. She didn't respond right away but a week later she said, 'I'm surprised you would allow him to force you out of your own country,'' Hamill, a lifelong Democrat, told The Times. ''That son of a b****', I thought. I'm not leaving.' When asked about the political landscape in the United States, Hamill expressed exasperation over 'the bullying, the incompetence, the people in place' in the Trump administration. The actor added that the only way he could 'deal' with the his country's politics without becoming suicidal was to look at the situation 'like a thick, sprawling political novel' instead of reality. Despite his horror, Hamill added that he 'still believes' there are 'more honest, decent people' in the country than there are those in a Maga crowd. 'If I didn't, I'd move back to England,' he said. Elsewhere in the interview, Hamill revealed his dislike of US gun culture is such that he almost didn't accept his role in a forthcoming adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel The Long Walk. Hamill will play The Major, a man who runs an annual walking contest in a dystopian version of America that sees 100 young men walk continuously at a pace of four miles an hour – or they'll be shot to death. 'Francis Lawrence, the director, understood what was troubling me,' he said of his initial reluctance to take on the role. 'American society is gun violence and it's hard to get past that, but as I spoke to him I realised this is just the guy. He said he would have been surprised if I wasn't troubled by it.' The actor went on to compare the film to recent ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrests in the country, saying agents wearing masks, with no identification, had been 'pulling people out of their cars'. 'They were just brutalising people, kneeling on their necks,' he said. 'When I made the movie I wasn't thinking in terms of it being timely but it's proven to be just that.' Hamill led the three original Star Wars movies – Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) – as Luke Skywalker alongside Carrie Fisher as Princess Leira and Harrison Ford as Han Solo. He reprised the role in all three films of the sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), as well as in numerous TV spin offs, including The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Illegal alien accused of causing fatal semi truck crash that killed 3 people: 'Shocking and criminal'
An illegal immigrant truck driver has been arrested and faces deportation after allegedly attempting to make an unauthorized U-turn in Florida — resulting in a crash that killed three people. Harjinder Singh, who entered the country illegally and obtained a commercial driver's license in California, has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in connection with Tuesday's fatal crash, according to a news release from the Florida Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). "This is a devastating tragedy made even worse by the fact that it was totally preventable," White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital in an email. "Illegal aliens that have no legal right to be in our country certainly should not be granted commercial drivers' licenses." While operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce, Singh allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area. This resulted in the trailer jackknifing and colliding with a minivan — leaving all three of the minivan's passengers dead, according to officials. "Gavin Newscum's pro-illegal alien policies have deadly consequences," Jackson added. "Yet he continues to double down and put illegals over American citizens." Singh, who officials believe crossed the US-Mexico border in 2018, remains in custody on both state vehicular homicide charges as well as immigration violations. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer has been issued, according to an X post from the Official White House Rapid Response account. "The actions taken by the defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal," FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a statement. "Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever." A law passed in 2013 allows California residents to obtain a driver's license, regardless of their immigration status. ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
D.C. resists Trump's takeover — in court and on the streets
D.C. was filled with resistance to President Trump's federal takeover this weekend, with rallies, locals documenting arrests, and a sharper edge from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Why it matters: Washingtonians are navigating daily life under federal control as both sides — the feds and resistance — ramp up their manpower and rhetoric. Catch up quick: Friday fired off with a lawsuit. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to block Trump's takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department. A federal judge pushed the city and Justice Department to reach an agreement, and the Trump administration relented. MPD Chief Pamela Smith will keep command of 3,100 officers, while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's appointee for the city's "emergency police commissioner," DEA head Terry Cole, can't issue directives for now. And Bowser is shifting her tone from cool diplomacy to heated pushback, calling Trump's action "an authoritarian push" and posting on her personal X account that "policing American citizens on American soil is #UnAmerican." Friction point: " Trump must go" protests flared over the weekend, drawing action from Dupont Circle to the White House. Social media feeds were filled with video footage of arrests, and empty morning sidewalks — typically crammed with vendors — in Columbia Heights. On Saturday morning, masked federal agents — including one wearing an ICE badge — tackled a moped driver on 14th Street, reports the Washington Post. D.C. police were not involved in the arrest, a spokesperson tells Axios. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an X post that the arrest involved an undocumented immigrant "with suspected gang affiliation" facing a final order of removal. Leavitt said the individual resisted arrest and that a law enforcement officer suffered a concussion. Zoom in: Statehood advocates say police pepper-sprayed activist Afeni Evans during her arrest over Metro fare evasion Saturday, per a statement Free DC shared with Axios, which sparked protests outside the DC Courthouse. She was later released to cheering crowds. MPD told Axios it wasn't involved in the arrest. Metro Transit Police didn't immediately return Axios' request for comment. By the numbers: More than 300 people have now been arrested in the crackdown as of Saturday night, per a White House official. 135 undocumented immigrants have been arrested, and 44 homeless encampments have been cleared. All such camps have now been cleared from federal property, reports U.S. Park Police. Between the lines: Everyday life continued across the city — the Nats played ball, thousands boogied down for Chuck Brown Day — but resistance seeped in. Chants of "Free DC!" erupted during the Spirit's match Friday at Audi Field. Sidewalk chalk messages filled Mount Pleasant — an immigrant hub targeted by ICE. The intrigue: " Sandwich guy" — the now-former DOJ staffer who was arrested for launching a sub at federal agents — is being embraced as a symbol of the resistance. Banksy-style murals popped up in Adams Morgan, while some protestors carried sandwich signs or marched with actual baguettes. What we're watching: Red states from West Virginia to South Carolina pledged to send up to 700 more National Guard troops to D.C., on top of the 800 already deployed. And while the National Guard still isn't making arrests, they may be armed now, per the White House official. "[This is] consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence," says the official. The bottom line: In a late Friday email to constituents, Bowser acknowledged a city in "crisis" and commended citizens for rallying together.
