The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday ended a longstanding policy that mostly barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting undocumented immigrants at “sensitive locations,” including schools.

“The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” a department spokesperson said in a statement rescinding the policy.

What that means for Maryland schools is not yet clear. Most local school systems and the state education department are still figuring out what they’ll do in response.

Here’s what we know so far:

How did Maryland schools handle ICE before the policy change?

Before this week, Central Maryland school districts pointed to the now-defunct 2021 Homeland Security policy that advised against enforcement action in or near “protected areas” that provide essential services, such as schools, churches, child care centers and playgrounds.

In Anne Arundel County, the Office of General Counsel last week reminded school leaders that students and parents do not need to prove they are in the country legally to attend county schools. They should also be prepared to ask officials for documentation and identification, but must leave the vetting of those materials up to lawyers, the office said in a memo.

School leaders are supposed to get legal advice before complying with law enforcement, who must wait outside and can be asked to leave if they don’t have a legal right to be present. Parents or guardians should be contacted — in their preferred language — once legal counsel has been looped in.

Similarly, a joint letter from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore City School Board Chair Robert Salley and City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises said the system takes steps such as escorting parents or guardians without identification to meetings like parent-teacher conferences. The school system does not ask about or disclose immigration status.

How will schools change those procedures?

In Howard County, the process will remain unchanged, according to a statement issued Wednesday: When any visitor arrives at a school, they are taken somewhere private so the school’s leaders can find out why they’re present. Administrators are then supposed to contact the school district and general counsel to figure out how to move forward.

“While staff will not obstruct a state or federal agent carrying out a lawful order on school grounds, we hope that our learning environments will remain free of disruptions,” the guidance reads. “Staff will also continue to monitor the situation in our county, state and nation, and work with county officials and community groups to guide families in need of additional support to the appropriate available resources in our community.”

The Anne Arundel and Baltimore City school systems said they are still evaluating the impact of the ICE policy change and updating their guidance.

“Our schools will always be welcoming spaces where every child — regardless of immigration status — is valued, respected, and supported,“ City Schools spokesperson Sherry Christian said in an email. ”Providing safe, inclusive, and affirming learning environments is one of our most important responsibilities.”

Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said the district would follow guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education. Spokesperson Raven Hill said in an email Tuesday that the department would have information to share “in the next day or two.”

What about child care centers?

With the policy change, parents dropping their kids off at day care could also be approached by ICE. Doug Lent with the Maryland Family Network pointed to guidance from The Center for Law and Social Policy that says even though the previous protective policy is no longer in place, “providers and families continue to have rights that can help protect them from some immigration enforcement actions.”

Lent said when parents are afraid to send their children to child care, it hurts everyone: Children don’t get the “social, emotional, cognitive support that they need” and parents may need to stay home and out of work, negatively impacting the economy.

“Anything that interrupts that is detrimental to their development, and we don’t want to see that happen to anyone, for any reason,” Lent said. “We would rather see a way where everyone can continue to thrive and learn.”

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.