By JOSE HERRERA
Campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District will open Thursday for the first day of the new school year, and the district will implement measures to ensure the “safe passage” of children and parents to and from school amid heightened concerns of federal immigration raids.
Hundreds of district employees, volunteers and school police, and officers from several municipalities will patrol near an estimated 100 campuses and set up so-called “safe zones” in neighborhoods that have a high population of Latinos. The patrol groups will also focus on places where older Latino students are walking to campus.
Local officials said the patrols will serve as means of enhancing communication so schools can be locked down if necessary, and parents and others in the community can be alerted via email or text about possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
ALSO SEE: LAUSD says teen wrongly detained near Arleta High; immigration officials dispute allegations
Additionally, bus routes are being changed to better serve immigrant families. Parents can request special bus accommodations for transportation of their children.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho previously said the district is taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of students and families. The district also established a task force led by former School Police Chief Steven Zipperman, who will be responsible for coordinating with municipal police departments as they increase their presence near schools.
“… I think we all agree that in our community, there are no sidewalks for immigrants and separate sidewalks for everybody else,” Carvalho said during a Monday news conference alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other municipal, labor and community leaders. “Everybody walks the same journey to school, and everybody walks then back home.”
Bass described the moment as being “profound,” adding that an entire array of elected and appointed officials, and educational leaders gathered to talk about “protecting our children from the federal government.”
“We want LA Unified to continue the success that the district has had over the last few years, and we will stand and support our education leaders to make sure that we can continue to progress,” Bass said.
The mayor emphasized that Los Angeles Police Department officers are not involved with federal immigration enforcement. School Police Chief Aaron Pisarzewicz echoed the mayor’s message, emphasizing that the task force and officers are “not in the business of interfering with any lawful actions of another law enforcement entity.”
“However, we still know that schools are the safest place for our kids, and we want to make sure that they are safe while traveling to and from schools. They’re facing a number of different hazards on a daily basis, and our role is to make sure that they are as safe as possible. So, we will be highly visible,” Pisarzewicz said.
United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing LAUSD teachers, will be organizing “Welcome Back to School Actions” as part of the first day back. The union is encouraging residents to “adopt a school” by showing up, sharing “Know Your Rights” materials, and participating in patrols.
More information is available at utla.net/resources/community-support-sign-up/.
“Moments like these are when our community must stand united and look out for one another. Schools are safe spaces, and we are committed to protecting our students and families,” said City Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, who represents the Sixth Council District, encompassing Arleta, Panorama City and other neighborhoods in the eastern San Fernando Valley. “I urge those who can go to your local school on the first day of instruction to stand in solidarity with families who may be experiencing fear of an ICE raid.”
The measures were prompted by the aggressive and widespread ICE raids around Los Angeles that began June 6, some of which occurred just outside LAUSD schools.
Earlier this week, U.S. Border Patrol agents detained a 15-year-old Arleta High School student with disabilities who was waiting in a vehicle with his grandmother.
“This young man was in handcuffs, presumably based on mistaken identity. He was not an adult. He’s a 15-year-old boy with significant disabilities,” Carvalho said. “This cannot happen.”
Carvalho said the district’s protocols worked, as the principal of Arleta called the School Police Department and the young man was later released.
District officials emphasized that they do not allow anyone on campuses without authorization. Law enforcement personnel must have a warrant signed by a judge to enter LAUSD schools.
“If they do not have that — and I can tell you the vast majority of actions in our community are not accompanied by that type of judicial warrant — that means they have no jurisdiction,” Carvalho said. “They have no power in entering our schools. We do not grant them access.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has defended its immigration enforcement operations. The department recently released information regarding the alleged criminal history of some suspects arrested over the weekend.
The list included 41-year-old Jose Manuel Lopez-Arroyo, a “criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for shooting at inhabited dwelling or vehicle discharge of a firearm” in San Fernando; as well 37-year-old Adrian Flores-Jimenez, a “criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for hit-and-run causing injury” in Butte, authorities said.
“While Americans were enjoying their weekend, ICE was hard at work arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens that pose significant public safety threats,” said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
“Some of the dirtbags arrested over the weekend include rapists, attempted murderers, and violent abusers. If you are a patriotic American and are tired of seeing your community pillaged by illegal alien crime, apply to join ICE law enforcement and help us remove gang members, pedophiles, terrorists, murderers, and more violent thugs,” she added.