After more than five hours of public comment, Sarasota County School Board members passed a resolution reaffirming their full cooperation with law enforcement, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tuesday's 3-2 vote broke down along party lines, with board members Tom Edwards and Liz Barker opposing the resolution.
Robyn Marinelli, Karen Rose and board chair Rachel Ziegler, who brought forth the proposal, voted in favor.
Ziegler drafted the resolution after fellow board member Edwards spoke at a recent anti-ICE rally. He had condemned a federal agent's fatal shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three from Minneapolis.
More than 150 people spoke on the resolution, with only a handful voicing support.
Many opponents criticized the move by Ziegler as a political stunt.
The resolution, district leaders acknowledged, does not change any policies, but simply reaffirms existing protocol requiring schools to comply with law enforcement, including federal immigration agents.
A district spokesperson told WUSF that the district has a legal obligation to fulfill "a legitimate legal order or subpoena."
"This proposal does not improve student safety and it does not change district policy. What it does do is bring one of the most polarizing national issues into a place where it does not belong."
District leaders also emphasized that schools do not ask for or collect information on students' immigration status.
Speaking at the Tuesday board meeting, Superintendent Terry Connor said the district does not "share student information with anyone without the proper documentation, without the proper releases," due to student privacy laws such as FERPA.
Edwards pointed out ICE agents cannot enter campus grounds with a valid warrant. That policy is in line with what neighboring districts have said too.
Still, a mix of students, parents, teachers and community members said the passing of such a resolution sends a message of fear to the immigrant community.
Pine View junior Omy Patel was one of many students who missed class to speak at the board meeting, which started at 10 a.m.
"This proposal does not improve student safety and it does not change district policy. What it does do is bring one of the most polarizing national issues into a place where it does not belong," said Patel.
He said "even the idea of schools being associated with enforcement creates fear and trauma for students."
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, he's instituted numerous executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration.
The Trump administration removed schools, as well as churches and hospitals, from a list of protected spaces where immigration enforcement is generally not allowed.
There have not been reports about immigration agents entering schools in Florida.
Several speakers mentioned U.S. Border Patrol agents clashing with students and staff at a Minneapolis high school two weeks ago after the fatal shooting.
Riverview High School senior Miranda Moreta-Carrasco pointed out parts of the resolution that state schools should "not be used as a safe harbor for criminals."
Using that type of language, Moreta-Carrasco said, "risks conflating families and students with criminality."
Sandra Otis, a junior from Sarasota High School, spoke directly to Ziegler, accusing her of failing to maintain a safe environment in schools.
"Your priority as the Sarasota School Board chair is to shield our students from such terror, to create and maintain an accepting and secure community for learning," said Otis, "However, you have failed."
Martin Hyde, a parent to children in the Sarasota district who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for a U.S. House seat in Sarasota, criticized both Ziegler and Edwards.
"Both are using fear, and both are escalating divisions when their actual job is to run a school system," said Hyde. "Enrollment is down, and these are acts of selfish self-aggrandizement, which won't help that."
Enrollment in public schools has been shrinking due to a number of reasons, including school vouchers that have made it easier for families to choose private and home school options.
However, the state's estimating conference said overall enrollment, in both public and private settings, is shrinking this school year compared to previous predictions. A likely reason, the conference said, is because of fears surrounding immigration enforcement.
