Vermont’s most diverse school district on Wednesday night became the first in Vermont to pass a sanctuary school policy to protect students and families from the impact of federal immigration enforcement actions, according to its superintendent.
At a packed Winooski school board meeting, a large crowd of students, teachers, parents and alumni urged leaders to adopt the proposed policy, crafted by Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.
The board ultimately voted 4-0 to approve the measure. The policy aims to restrict immigration agents’ access to school grounds and prohibit school staff from collaborating with immigration authorities in an effort to counteract the Trump administration’s aggressive shift in immigration policy.
During an hour and a half of public testimony, a teacher spoke about a student returning home to find a parent had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A multilingual student described the daily fear she and her family are living under. A parent counselor spoke about how stress and trauma relating to immigration can affect family systems and learning. And a librarian urged Winooski to lead the way in rejecting fear and protecting the most vulnerable.
“It was an incredibly powerful night, with more than 120 teachers, students, families and community members in attendance to show their support for the policy,” said Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, a teacher at Winooski High School who had publicly advocated for the policy.
As President Donald Trump carries out his campaign promise to crack down on immigration, recently allowing federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals — places previously considered safe havens — schools and cities nationwide are once again resorting to creating sanctuary policies in an attempt to protect marginalized communities.
MacLeod-Bluver said in an email she is proud of the step Winooski has taken.
“In times of injustice, it is so good to know that we have a community that stands up for what is right and for our students and families who are in fear,” she wrote.
The policy will be posted publicly 10 days before final adoption by the school — a procedural requirement, according to Chavarria, who said he may make minor tweaks to add some clarity.
“The committee knows that this policy is not like a magic shield. There’s no such thing as a real sanctuary, right. Like sanctuary cities, it doesn’t mean that you can’t go and arrest someone,” he said. “It just means that here the authorities are not going to collaborate. It means that we’re going to support families in learning their rights.”
The Winooski board, in a statement, referenced the clear call to action it heard on Wednesday. “As a Board, we listened, and to the extent possible, we are acting. But it must be made clear: there are limits to what we can do as a Board or District. Much more action is needed, at the State and Federal level, to push back on the hateful rhetoric of this new administration and ensure all members of our community can truly feel safe and respected here.”
It noted that the policy had “been carefully reviewed by the Board, Administration, legal counsel, and others.”
Dalia, who is in 10th grade and asked to only use her first name due to immigration enforcement concerns, said she and her friends have been terrified by the flurry of executive orders targeting immigrants since Trump took office.
With a mother and grandmother who are immigrants from Kenya, Dalia said she is worried for both immigrant students and their families. “Knowing that our school could be a sanctuary really gave me hope for our future,” she said.
Among the many students who spoke Wednesday night, Dalia said her message to the board was that every student has rights “and not having a sanctuary place would take away our rights and our privilege of being at school to learn.”
Olivia, another 10th grader who emigrated from Canada and also asked to only use her first name due to immigration enforcement concerns, said she spoke in favor of the policy because she is worried for her safety and that of her friends. She is hopeful a sanctuary policy would help provide some protection in school.
The passage of the policy in Winooski is a win for the community at a time when it is very risky to take a stance publicly, said Chavarria.
The Trump administration has threatened to sue and cut off funding for schools and cities that adopt such policies and refuse to fully cooperate with federal agencies. Some have joined a lawsuit to fight back against the order, Reuters reported. Last week, the administration sued the city of Chicago, according to the Associated Press.
Chavarria said he was moved by the passion and solidarity on display Wednesday night and particularly inspired by multilingual communities speaking out to support each other.
The district serves a majority of students of color, he said, many of whom were not born in the United States. At least 250 students receive multilingual services because English is not the primary language spoken at home.
While the district does not track the number of students who are undocumented, Chavarria said, “The majority of our students are in a vulnerable position and many of them are confused or unsure about what their own documentation means.”
“In this environment, I’ve even had students who have U.S. passports because they are U.S. citizens come to me and ask me things like: ‘Am I in danger of being deported?’” said Chavarria, who is an immigrant from Nicaragua and a multilingual learner himself. He said he became a naturalized citizen in 2018.
While Winooski has a robust multilingual program led by a diverse staff, the overall school staff is not representative of the school population, he said. But he said he was heartened to see the widespread support among employees.
“Our staff, who are white, English-speaking Americans, were the first to sit up there and say: we’re going to use our privilege to protect our kids and our families, and we are the ones especially demanding that we have these protections in place,” he said.
The Vermont-National Education Association also endorsed Winooski’s proposed policy earlier this month.
“We have a moral obligation and ethical responsibility to make sure every school is a sanctuary for every student,” said Don Tinney, president of the educators’ union, in an emailed statement.
But Chavarria said he wished that the most vulnerable district didn’t have to be the one to lead the way.
“We are not going to wait because the need is now,” he said. “We’re not in a world where we could expect another community to be first but I’m most proud that we are. And I am proud to make noise about it and to hopefully inspire the conversation elsewhere.”
