In an effort to further protect immigrant families in West Contra Costa schools, the district has initiated a mandatory training to educate its administrators on how to recognize valid immigration warrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are not allowed to enter West Contra Costa schools, or access student records, without a valid warrant.
The training is part of an updated policy on how the district responds when ICE shows up on campus. The revised manual was shared at the school board meeting last week and is poised for final approval on Aug. 6.
Since 2018, WCCUSD has had a policy in place to ensure that all students, regardless of immigration status, are protected from immigration agents or discrimination of any kind. The policy mandates that the district not collect student or family immigration status information and communicates with families about their rights with immigration enforcement. The policy also states that all visitors, including ICE agents, must register with the front office and must follow strict guidelines to access school grounds.
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(Administrators) would be the first ones to speak to that ICE agent, apart from the office staff, so they need to know exactly what they can say and can’t say.
— WCCUSD board trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy
Now, the policy also requires all administrators to receive yearly training on handling judicial and administrative warrants. Judicial warrants are issued by a federal or state judge when a judge has good reason to believe the person is connected to a crime that has been committed — and it allows ICE to search schools and records. An administrative warrant is significantly different because it is issued when a federal immigration officer believes a crime has been committed, but does not grant ICE access to campus or any personal information.
“(Administrators) would be the first one to speak to that ICE agent, apart from the office staff, so they need to know exactly what they can say and can’t say,” board trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy said. “We, of course, don’t want them to do something illegal that can hurt them individually…and we want to protect students.”
Administrators include principals, vice-principals and others in leadership positions either on campus or at the district level. The training will be held just a few days before school starts on Aug. 19.
Administrators are then expected to teach other staff, especially school secretaries, about the updated policy, trustees said.
During the training, administrative staff will also learn about internal procedures with the district. For example, they must refer any requests from ICE to the superintendent or a designated district official to “ensure compliance with state law and protection of student’s rights,” the policy states.
School attendance is down since Trump was elected
This new training comes in response to changes from the federal government.
At the start of 2025, the Department of Homeland Security revoked its 2011 policy that restricted immigration officers from conducting raids on what they classified as sensitive areas, such as schools.
ICE has not come to West Contra Costa schools, according to Gonzalez-Hoy, but the community is still quite scared.
“We actually saw a drop in attendance once the Trump administration got elected, and it started with anti-immigrant rhetoric,” Gonzalez-Hoy said. “A lot of families have actually been scared to send kids to school.”
Attendance rates dropped by 1% in February of this year, a month in which, historically, students attend school more regularly, according to data gathered by the district. Officials, who presented this data at an April WCCUSD board meeting, said part of the reason for the decline is fears around ICE.
The district has not publically updated its data since, but Gonzalez-Hoy said he anticipates the fears will continue impacting attendance and enrollment, especially when the school year starts.
Immigration raids in California’s Central Valley earlier this year caused enough fear to keep nearly a quarter of the students in five districts home from school, according to a recent report by Stanford University. The ICE raids in Los Angeles forced the Los Angeles Unified School district to offer virtual attendance options, and directed schools to create safety zones around campuses.
Board president says district’s immigration policies are solid
WCCUSD does not collect data on immigration status, but does service a large number of English language learning students. More than 30% of students are English language learners, meaning more than 9,500 students are likely immigrants and fearful of what an ICE raid could do to them or their loved ones.
At last week’s school board meeting, Board President Leslie Reckler reassured families that WCCUSD’s policies have always been strong. “The district was in really good shape in policies that relate to immigration,” Reckler said. “ Really, they’re pretty solid.”
Board Trustee Cinthia Hernandez said the district has gone “above and beyond” to protect families.
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As someone who comes from a mixed-status family and has been affected by a family member being deported, I know how scared our families are.
— WCCUSD board trustee Cinthia Hernandez
“As someone who comes from a mixed-status family and has been affected by a family member being deported, I know how scared our families are,” Hernandez told Richmondside. “I can’t even say like not to be scared because it’s something that is unbearable…but I just want our families to know that us as a district, we’re here for them, we’re in community, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that our students and families are safe.”
In addition to the new warrants and procedural training for administrators, the district is going to implement signage on every campus that details the procedure in case ICE comes to a school.
Families have also been receiving ‘know your rights’ literature from the district in the event there is an immigration raid in the area. She said the district is planning on sending out more during the upcoming school year, and informing families about any training they can attend. The trainings are held by different community organizations on campus. Hernandez also said the district will host trainings to help families update emergency contact information and create plans in case a family member is deported.
