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The Haverhill School Committee suspended its rules last Thursday to adopt an emergency measure, strengthening protections for immigrant children and staff faced with arrest by federal officials.
Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta told the board the district already has a policy in place that requires administrators to contact the school department attorney should an agent from Immigration and Custom Enforcement show up at one of the public schools.
“We would not allow the student to go at that point until we had assurance through our attorney’s office that it was the proper warrant and that we had no other options, Marotta said.
Committee members voted unanimously to adopt the version of the policy offered by the Massachusetts School Committee Association which makes clear arrests are not allowed on school property without a valid judicial warrant. The vote was taken so the new policy is in place in time for the start of the new school year Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The Committee’s vote came after Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act Aug. 5. The measure keeps ICE agents out of courthouses, child care centers, hospitals and health care facilities as well as schools and provides stronger protections for parents in case they are detained or deported, according to Healey’s office.
Marotta said all principals and other front-line staff, including school receptionists and security officers, have been trained on the district’s protocols. She said, should an agent ask for a student, their parent or guardian would be contacted immediately and that the school’s attorney would be called.
The vote called on the Committee’s Policy Subcommittee to review the measure and suggest any changes at a future meeting of the full committee.
The board also considered for a first reading, updates to its new policy restricting electric bicycles, scooters and the like on school property. The policy, first adopted on an emergency basis two weeks ago as a safety measure, now includes a section making it clear electric mobility devices used for those who are disabled are exempt as well as vehicles used by the school’s maintenance staff. The proposed policy updates must be read at the next two School Committee meetings before they can be voted on.
The board also unanimously accepted a formal evaluation of Marotta’s performance in the last two years. Noting she received an average score of proficient and no unsatisfactory rankings, Vice Chair Thomas W. Grannemann said he believes oversight of the superintendent’s performance was “one of the most important roles” of the School Committee.