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Community Relations

School Security and Safety

 

The Hamden Board of Education (the Board ) will develop and implement an all-hazards security and safety plan with a school-specific annex for each school within the Hamden Public Schools (the District ) or a school security and safety plan for each school within the District (together, School Security and Safety Plans ) to bolster existing emergency preparedness, response capability, and school safety and security measures and to address all-hazards threats.

School Security and Safety Plans will be based on the school security and safety plan standards developed by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection ( DESPP ), the Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education ( CSDE ), and other applicable requirements.

For the school year commencing July 1, 2024, and each school year thereafter, each School Security and Safety Plan shall be updated to include protocols for interacting with a federal immigration authority who appears in person at a school in the District or otherwise contacts a school to request information. For purposes of this policy, a federal immigration authority means any officer, employee or other person otherwise paid by or acting as an agent of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any successor agency thereto or any division thereof or any officer, employee or other person otherwise paid by or acting as an agent of the United States Department of Homeland Security or any successor agency thereto who is charged with enforcement of the civil provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Such protocols shall be based on applicable law and the CSDE's Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities ), or any subsequent applicable CSDE guidance, and shall include, at a minimum:

 

A. the designation of at least one administrator at each school to serve as the individual responsible for interacting with the federal immigration authority;
B. provisions that such administrator, or any other school employee, may:

1. request and record a federal immigration authority’s identification, including the name, badge or identification number, telephone number and business card of such federal immigration authority;

2. ask such federal immigration authority if the federal immigration authority is in possession of a judicial warrant to support the federal immigration authority's request and, if so, to produce such judicial warrant;

3. review any warrant or other materials that the federal immigration authority produces to determine who issued such warrant and what the warrant or other material authorizes the federal immigration authority to do; and

4. consult with legal counsel for the Board, or guidance developed by such legal counsel, on how to interact with the federal immigration authority with regards to the nature of the request, whether a warrant is produced, the details of any such warrant, whether such warrant is a judicial warrant or an administrative warrant, whether the federal immigration authority is claiming exigent circumstances, and any other consideration identified by the Board's legal counsel; and

C. permission for other school personnel to direct such federal immigration authority who requests access to any records, information, the interior of the school building or other school personnel to communicate with the administrator designated to interact with the federal immigration authority.

 

The Board shall annually submit its School Security and Safety Plans to DESPP, in accordance with state law.

School Security and Safety Plans should be kept securely and will only be provided to the Board, school staff and administration, members of the school security and safety committees, members of state and local law enforcement, first responders, local municipal officials, or other persons authorized by the Board or the Superintendent (e.g., consultants, contractors). Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes § 1-210(b)(19), School Security and Safety Plans will not be available to the public.

Legal References:

State Law:

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 1-210(b)(19)

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222m

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222n

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222aa

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-231

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 28-7

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-192h

Public Act No. 25-1, An Act Concerning Interactions Between School Personnel and Immigration Authorities, the Purchase and Operation of Certain Drones, Grants to Certain Nonprofit Organizations, and Student Athlete Compensation Through Endorsement Contracts and Revenue Sharing Agreements

State Standards:

Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, School Security and Safety Plan Standards.

Connecticut State Department of Education, Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities (January 28, 2025).

Federal Guidance:

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (June 2013).

 

 

 

		HAMDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Policy adopted:	May 13, 2025	Hamden, Connecticut