Members of the American Federation of Teachers are urging educators in Texas to be prepared for possible interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at public schools.
The Texas Education Agency released new guidelines for students and teachers this week, announcing anyone involved in political protests would face consequences.
Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers Resistance Committee, said they are training local chapter members to interact with ICE using nonviolent tactics.
"They’re called MOVE trainings, and that stands for mobilize, organize, vote and empower," Tang explained. "We’ve been supporting our members and understanding the authoritarian threat as well as what we can do to stand up for our rights, due process, and fight for a better democracy."
The agency said students who walk out of classes will be marked absent and teachers who help with protests will be investigated and could lose their teacher’s license.
The Department of Homeland Security claims ICE is not conducting enforcement operations at, or "raiding" schools, and ICE is not going to schools to arrest children. Tang noted although Texas has not had the same experiences as other parts of the country, educators should still prepare.
"We’ve been leading regular trainings on ICE verification, knowing your rights, how to set up a school safety team, and making sure members know about all the resources available to keep our students, members, families and community safe," Tang outlined. "We know we have more in common than not, and we know we can build a community that everyone deserves together."
Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, school districts are required to limit who has access to student documents.