The Durham Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on November 20 to protect student safety and privacy regardless of immigration status, adopting a resolution that requires federal officials to present judicial warrants before entering school property and prohibits staff from asking about families' immigration status. The action came in response to increased federal immigration enforcement operations in Durham that week, which caused school attendance to plummet from 90 percent to 70 percent as families feared leaving home. Superintendent Tyreke Lewis stated the district's priority was community safety over metrics: "I don't care about those numbers this week. I really don't. What I do care about is our community and our students, families that are fearful of leaving the house." The resolution includes staff training on protocols and materials in multiple languages, though board members debated whether to require schools to post it publicly, with concerns that visible signage could invite vandalism or protests. The board ultimately allowed individual schools flexibility on posting.
The board also approved a new cell phone policy restricting student use throughout the day, with exceptions for emergencies. The policy prohibits smart glasses and smartwatches during instruction, implements a bell-to-bell ban for middle schools, and limits high school use to lunch periods. Student representative Lordes Manson warned that strict restrictions could cause disengagement, particularly for students already struggling with school attachment. Board members disagreed over emergency language, ultimately compromising on language allowing students to access phones during genuine emergencies with administrative authorization.
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