At an emotional Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, several community members called on the district to do more to protect immigrant families amid the ongoing surge of Border Patrol presence in Charlotte.
Educators described scared students and Border Patrol sightings near schools. Amanda Thompson, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, told the board one student came to school with a handwritten tag stating “I am a U.S. citizen.”
Several called on CMS to allow a hybrid learning option, provide stronger guidance to teachers and more forceful messaging supporting immigrant families.
“CMS leadership must acknowledge that we are experiencing a disaster as destructive and disruptive as any severe weather, pandemic or mass casualty event,” said Rae LeGrone, a teacher and vice president of the CMAE.
Rebecca Costas said she and her colleagues delivered food to families and many were afraid to answer the door. She called on the district to do more to provide more resources and training to teachers and communicate support to families — citing some videos made only in English.
“It’s as if fear of being political is greater than our families’ fears for their lives,” Costas said.
Superintendent Crystal Hill said it had been a “hard week” for the school community.
“There is not one member of the community that has not been impacted by the recent activity in our community,” she said.
She said the district did consider switching to remote learning, but decided against it, citing students who rely on CMS for meals, student access to counselors and child care.
“In the midst of chaos, the stability that CMS offers would be closed for business,” Hill said.
Instead, the district chose to remain in person “while being strategic in the supports that we provide to all parents whenever children are absent from school.” She praised staff and leadership for how they’ve handled the situation.
Board members expressed concern and support for the school community. Liz Monterrey-Duvall, the school board’s first Latina board member, said the actions had caused fear.
“It feels like they don’t want our kids to be educated. It feels like they don’t want our kids to go to school for a reason,” she said. "So if you have issues or need help, reach out, because you have a whole community behind you.”
Hill said there have been no immigration enforcement actions directly on school campuses. Unofficial CMS data shows roughly 30,000 students were absent Monday, significantly higher than normal.
