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ICE Sought Student Records From a Nashville Elementary School
In an escalation that alarmed advocates and Metro officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at a Nashville elementary school last month asking for student records.
Metro Nashville Public Schools confirmed to the Scene that immigration officials made the request at Una Elementary School in southeast Nashville, but said that school officials did not release any information. The school is notably diverse and has a significant immigrant population. Thirty-nine percent of it students are English Language Learners, and 23 different languages are spoken at the school.
MNPS spokesperson K. Dawn Rutledge elaborated on the school's response to ICE in a statement:
Under Policy 6.600, all MNPS employees, contractors, and volunteers are respectful of the privacy of students and families. Confidential student records and information are not to be released. If anyone other than the student’s parent, guardian or other person the parent has authorized calls the school or comes to the school requesting access to a student, student records, or information about a student, only an authorized official (the principal) has authority to determine whether the student information can be released.
If the person requesting the information produces a document that appears to be a legal document that a principal has any question about, such as a warrant or other court order, MNPS principals are instructed to call their superiors for support and review.
It is a principal’s responsibility to share and explain the practical application of the policy to the school’s staff, including teachers and front office personnel, so they can help assure a safe and welcoming environment conducive to learning.
If the person requesting the information produces a document that appears to be a legal document that a principal has any question about, such as a warrant or other court order, MNPS principals are instructed to call their superiors for support and review.
It is a principal’s responsibility to share and explain the practical application of the policy to the school’s staff, including teachers and front office personnel, so they can help assure a safe and welcoming environment conducive to learning.
Following ICE's visit to Una Elementary, the district's interim director of schools Adrienne Battle sent a memo to Nashville principals on Sept. 26 emphasizing the student records policy. The memo did not address the incident involving ICE.
Read more: https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21091593/ice-sought-student-records-from-a-nashville-elementary-school