Helen, a high school senior in Baltimore County, has focused on becoming fluent in English and attending college. But now she worries her immigration status will be shared with federal agents.

“Every student deserves to feel safe at this school, no matter where they come from,” she said on Tuesday during a virtual news conference after a Baltimore County teacher was placed on leave for allegedly threatening to report undocumented students to federal agents. “A school is a place focused on learning and growing. Not on worrying about deportation.”

Helen was one of a handful of speakers at an event hosted by CASA, a national organization that advocates for immigrants. She and other speakers did not want to use their last names out of fear of being reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

CASA said it received calls and messages from worried Baltimore County students and parents asking what to do if students are being pursued inside a school.

“CASA is calling on BCPS, and the Maryland State Department of Education, to adopt a much clearer policy that lays out with particularity the restrictions against agencies accessing families, programs, resources, and information while conducting civil immigration enforcement,” CASA wrote in a news release.

Last week, social media posts from what appears to be an Overlea High School teacher caught the community’s attention with messages that threatened to report certain students to ICE. “Was just sent a list of student who are allowed to legally skip today in support of illegals as most are illegal. Do i contact ICE or let it slide?” one post said.

Baltimore County Public Schools said the person was placed on leave as they investigate, but did not confirm the name of the user.

The high school’s principal called the posts “unsettling,” adding in a message to families that the comments do not represent the school community and the behavior is not acceptable for school staff.

Baltimore County Public Schools said they will follow guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education, as well as the system’s own policies for protecting student privacy, according to a spokesperson on Tuesday.

Jossie Flor Sapunar, the communications director for CASA, said in an interview that Baltimore City and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have issued “very bold guidance” for ICE visits to schools, noting that her organization played a part in their creation.

“We’re optimistic Baltimore County can do the same,” said Sapunar, who is a Baltimore County public school parent.

Gricelda, another Baltimore County parent, said during the news conference that the immigrant community has been living in fear.

“The threat of ICE coming into school, it’s really challenging for children,” she said through a translator. “It creates anxiety and stress. It doesn’t allow them to focus on what they should be focusing on.”

Knowing that a teacher has threatened to share students’ information with ICE, Gricelda said, has made her worried about sending her kids to school.

Crisaly De Los Santos, CASA’s director for Central Maryland and Baltimore, said immigrant students have already experienced harassment since President Donald Trump was elected, and having a teacher allegedly report kids to ICE could make the harassment worse.

De Los Santos said it’s important for Baltimore County Public Schools to be more proactive instead of waiting for an incident to happen. Some educators who reached out to CASA asking how they can be supportive of immigrant students and families.

However, “not every school has a superstar educator ready to support immigrant youth,” she said.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.