‘I’m panicked’; RPS community shares remaining concerns about ICE days after community town hall

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Many Richmond Public Schools (RPS) community members outlined lingering concerns about how to handle U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in schools at a budget hearing, just days after a virtual town hall held by school leaders on the same topic.

The Richmond City School Board met for a public hearing regarding the school division's proposed budget on Feb. 3, during which a public comment period was held.

Many speakers discussed their opinions regarding massive cuts outlined in the proposed budget, concerns regarding ICE activity, and intersections between the two topics.

Jan. 29 virtual town hall on ICE in schools

The budget meeting followed a virtual town hall held just days ago, on Jan. 29, by RPS leaders about ICE's presence in schools.

The town hall came after recent deadly shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis -- one that killed Renee Macklin Good and another that killed Alex Pretti. It also came amid reports from multiple Virginia officials regarding local ICE sightings and arrests.

According to an email shared with the RPS community on Jan. 26, Superintendent Jason Kamras said the school system's policy regarding law enforcement remains in place.

“It is only welcome to the extent it enhances school safety and security,” Kamras said about law enforcement.

Further, Kamras said that if law enforcement officers who arrived at an RPS school were not there to protect the community, and with his permission, they would not be welcome.

Public comment during Feb. 3 school board meeting

Concerns about RPS's immigration policy

Chloe Tremper, a teacher at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School, spoke on behalf of the Richmond chapter of the Virginia Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators (REA) union.

"We are deeply concerned about our immigrant students and their families," Tremper said. "People in our community are being taken by federal agents, ignoring civil rights, and we are supposed to assure our students that everything is okay."

Tremper said she felt that last week's town hall was a "step in the right direction," and appreciated the addition of an Immigration Resources Hub being added to RPS' website homepage, but shared that many questions posed at the town hall were left unanswered.

"RPS's immigration policy operates under the assumption that ICE will listen to Superintendent and school principals," Tremper said. "As we've seen in cities across the nation, that is not the case. The town hall provided little to no clarity for teachers and staff on how to respond to ICE presence beyond calling the Superintendent."

Tremper said RPS's policy of staff notifying Kamras in the event of an ICE presence is not enough to protect students.

"Superintendent Kamras showing up isn't going to protect our kids," Tremper said.

Tremper urged the need for clear protocols and mandatory training to prepare staff for a possible ICE presence.

In addition, she emphasized the need for resources in languages other than English and Spanish for multilingual students and their families.

Richmond Virtual Academy closure concerns

Lisa Delao, a Huguenot High School teacher and REA member, said the Richmond Virtual Academy -- which is threatened to be closed under the proposed budget -- is crucial for students, particularly for immigrants.

"Richmond Virtual Academy is essential, especially as this country faces a crisis with the ongoing escalation in ICE violence, and more school districts, like Minneapolis, are offering virtual learning options," Delao said.

Delao also echoed the importance of more training for the school community to keep students safe.

RPS family affected by ICE detainment

Marlene Garlan, a mother of four RPS students, spoke in Spanish with Delao as translator about her husband's detainment by ICE in October of 2025.

She shared that her husband was detained for two months, which financially impacted her family, including her children, and was a traumatic experience.

Garlan said that immigrant families don't feel safe walking the streets, seeking emergency services, attending court hearings, or walking in a park, for fear of ICE.

During her husband's detainment, Garlan said she wished she felt more supported by RPS, as she said school staff knew of her situation, but she said she never received a phone call.

Call for urgency and training

Meghan McPherson, a teacher at Boushall Middle School, said resource sharing within the school community has been helpful, and that she felt the town hall was a "really good start," but said RPS leaders have not seemed to address the urgency of the situation.

"People are being affected right now," McPherson said. "I have students who won't join sports teams because they can't stay after school, because their parents are scared to have them stay after school. I have kids whose parents text me and say they can't make it to school because they saw a van outside and they're scared to send their kids to the bus stop."

McPherson added that although the tone of the town hall may have been intended to instill a sense of calm and avoid panic, the community does not feel calm.

"I'm panicked, and families are panicked," McPherson said. "The panic is here, so more resources, certain things in the budget, like mental health resources, the multilingual department, the RVA, Richmond Virtual Academy, all those things are so necessary, so please, I'm asking them to reconsider."

Urge for effective communication and formal training

Emily Archer, a Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) teacher at Boushall Middle School, shared that she felt frustrated in the way that RPS has communicated to staff on policies related to ICE, and as to how to best protect immigrant students.

"Even after the town hall last week, I still have so many unanswered questions," Archer said.

As a LIEP teacher, Archer said she is listed on RPS' immigration policy response as someone who has had training on "handling immigration-related situations," but said no formal training on ICE was ever been provided to her.

"Yet, I have not received any formal training or guidance on how to handle any situation related to ICE," Archer said. "If I haven't been trained, and I'm on the list of people who are supposed to be trained, how can I trust that any other group on that list knows how to properly respond?"

Archer emphasized the importance of effective, consistent communication to keep staff informed and prepared.