Chicago has been under siege by masked and heavily armed federal law enforcement officers for weeks. Those of us who live here have seen those masked agents use tear gas against people protesting their awful mission. We have been witnessing the abductions and detainments of our neighbors, and those of us who are associated with the Chicago Public Schools have seen our students who are minors be detained, sometimes violently.
As a school board member in Chicago, I say unequivocally that there is no justification for the terror that these federal agents are inflicting on our communities as a whole but on our children in particular.
There is no justification for the terror that these federal agents are inflicting on our children.
Federal agents have carried out some of these deeply traumatizing events right outside our schools, while students are walking into school, learning inside or simply enjoying recess. So many of our parents, students and communities are living in fear. Our children are worried, and they’ve been asking their teachers and parents what papers will keep them safe from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Some of our students have returned home from school only to find their parents gone: detained and facing deportation.
Last week, a 17-year-old CPS student was detained (but ultimately released) after he stopped on his way to school to participate in an anti-ICE protest.
For all of the reasons above, some CPS parents have asked the school system for an option to let their children learn remotely while federal immigration agents are deployed to Chicago, and I’m one of at least seven people on the 21-person board who believes our school system should offer such an option.
Our students have a right to education regardless of their immigration status. Our families have a right to live in peace and with dignity.
Interim Superintendent/CEO Macquline King has explained that the school system doesn’t have the authority to allow some students to switch to remote learning. That decision has to come from the governor, but so far, Gov. JB Pritzker has resisted calls for him to give CPS families that option.
As quoted recently by NBC Chicago, the governor said Covid-19 showed that “remote learning really has a deleterious effect on kids’ ability to get the kind of education they need, and so we want to do everything we can to keep kids in school, where they are safer, frankly, than when they are wandering around in the community.”
While I firmly and adamantly believe our children are safest in our school buildings, I also recognize the deep anxiety and fear devastating our communities. We must provide real solutions to families who do not feel safe leaving their homes, who fear detainment at every step.
We must provide real solutions to families who do not feel safe leaving their homes, who fear detainment at every step.
Chicago is lucky to have elected officials, parents, teachers, principals and community organizations who have spent months organizing safety patrols, “know your rights” canvassing campaigns and ICE watch training for hundreds of community members who want to protect their neighbors.
The result is that while some CPS families have struggled under our current conditions, others have been rising to meet the moment. Rapid responders across the city are responding with heroism and courage to document and connect detainees with their family members and available resources. But those rapid responders are being harassed and threatened by ICE agents who refuse to activate their cameras or adhere to legal protocols, demonstrating a clear lack of accountability or respect for the law. This is no way for anyone to live, much less for children to learn, grow and thrive. We must find an end to the profound and immeasurable trauma that this federal administration is inflicting on our families. We cannot expect our immigrant community to live a normal life under such authoritarian conditions. We have community members living in constant fear: unable to get groceries, go to work or even take their children to school. Virtual learning options are just one way to help decrease the toxic anxiety our students and families are experiencing daily, but we must also be able to provide additional mutual aid and mental health support if we want hope for our students to be able to survive this climate of terror without lasting social and emotional harm. Fear should never be a part of anybody’s childhood. That’s why it’s such an outrage to see the way federal agents have been making our children afraid, and to know that some people are gleefully cheering those agents on. It’s our responsibility as public officials and as adults to do everything in our power to ensure that this great threat to our students’ well-being is removed and that all CPS families live in an environment where they not only feel safe but thrive.
Norma Rios-Sierra
Norma Rios-Sierra, a member of the Chicago Board of Education, is an accomplished community leader, artist and activist with a strong commitment to creating inclusive, vibrant communities. As a proud parent of a Chicago Public Schools student and a CPS graduate, Rios-Sierra is deeply invested in the success of CPS and the well-being of its students. 
