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Current Year: '25-'26 School Year
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- October: Revisiting the Helms White Identity Model
- November: Learning from White Anti-Racists of the Past
- December: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in ourselves and our institutions?
- January: How can we create classroom culture that resists white supremacy and that nourishes Black joy?
- February: How can we co-create joy with students?
- March: How can we prepare our schools to support students in the face of ICE terror?
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Current Year: '25-'26 School Year
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March Staff Pick: Charlie on ICE (new resource)
Essential Question: How can we prepare our schools to support students in the face of ICE terror?
If this is your first year doing this series, you might consider using our Inquiry Series 3 material for the year or hosting an orientation meeting using our September material before moving on to the current month.
Don't forget to talk back!
Overview:
When my turn was up to pick a past resource for March, I decided that I wanted to explore something I am currently grappling with: how to prepare my school community for the possibility of increased ICE enforcement in our city. I am a high school Civics teacher in Philadelphia, and I’ve had many conversations with students this year about ICE. Our students, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, are scared. I’ve done my best in my classroom to try to confront panic with information, giving students the clearest and most accurate facts and guidance I can find.
But it’s been very difficult to realize that this isn’t enough to reassure students at this moment. They have seen ICE in their communities, some of their loved ones have been detained. So I have started to think about how I can do more as a teacher, and how our schools and districts can do more to keep our students and their families safe. And for me, I wanted to look to places that were already facing the level of ICE terror that could possibly come to us in the future, particularly Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
As I’ve listened to their stories, I’ve heard a consistent refrain: They wished they were more prepared. Now, we have the opportunity to learn from the response they have constructed, and plan our own in case our own schools and districts are targeted.
Discussion Guide:
Encourage your colleagues to read our primary resource this month, ‘Time to speak up’: In Columbia Heights, school leaders stepped in to protect families as ICE surged (MPR News).
Some possible discussion questions:
Secondary Resources:
We encourage you to read and use the following resources with your group to get started on a concrete action plan to prepare to protect your students and school communities. The Protecting Immigrant Students Action Kit from #PoliceFreeSchools is extensive, we’d point you towards the model policies and templates contained in their guide. The NY ACLU Toolkit is similar, but features a step-by-step guide for finding out your current policies, and deciding whether strengthening or re-writing them is more appropriate. Lastly, we share an abridged guide that teachers are using here in Philadelphia to support newcomers and connect colleagues at schools where leadership may be less supportive: Philly Sanctuary Teams.
Facilitation Reference Guide:
Feedback Form:
Please check out our NEW talk back form! We are asking readers to respond to a SINGLE question based on your reading, reflecting, and discussion this month. Please talk back to us. We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
This month, we recommend you consider donating to a rapid response fund supporting immigrant communities near you, or that you support communities in Minnesota. You can donate to the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
Essential Question: How can we prepare our schools to support students in the face of ICE terror?
If this is your first year doing this series, you might consider using our Inquiry Series 3 material for the year or hosting an orientation meeting using our September material before moving on to the current month.
Don't forget to talk back!
Overview:
When my turn was up to pick a past resource for March, I decided that I wanted to explore something I am currently grappling with: how to prepare my school community for the possibility of increased ICE enforcement in our city. I am a high school Civics teacher in Philadelphia, and I’ve had many conversations with students this year about ICE. Our students, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, are scared. I’ve done my best in my classroom to try to confront panic with information, giving students the clearest and most accurate facts and guidance I can find.
But it’s been very difficult to realize that this isn’t enough to reassure students at this moment. They have seen ICE in their communities, some of their loved ones have been detained. So I have started to think about how I can do more as a teacher, and how our schools and districts can do more to keep our students and their families safe. And for me, I wanted to look to places that were already facing the level of ICE terror that could possibly come to us in the future, particularly Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
As I’ve listened to their stories, I’ve heard a consistent refrain: They wished they were more prepared. Now, we have the opportunity to learn from the response they have constructed, and plan our own in case our own schools and districts are targeted.
Discussion Guide:
Encourage your colleagues to read our primary resource this month, ‘Time to speak up’: In Columbia Heights, school leaders stepped in to protect families as ICE surged (MPR News).
Some possible discussion questions:
- Why do you think it took until Liam Conejo Ramos was used as “bait” and detained for Superintendent Stenvik to speak out?
- What impact did Stenvik’s leadership have on others around the District and community?
- How did staff members support students and families in the face of ICE terror?
- What lessons can you take from Columbia Heights to prepare your own school community?
- How can we support each other and manage our own burnout and safety while caring for our students, families, and communities?
Secondary Resources:
We encourage you to read and use the following resources with your group to get started on a concrete action plan to prepare to protect your students and school communities. The Protecting Immigrant Students Action Kit from #PoliceFreeSchools is extensive, we’d point you towards the model policies and templates contained in their guide. The NY ACLU Toolkit is similar, but features a step-by-step guide for finding out your current policies, and deciding whether strengthening or re-writing them is more appropriate. Lastly, we share an abridged guide that teachers are using here in Philadelphia to support newcomers and connect colleagues at schools where leadership may be less supportive: Philly Sanctuary Teams.
Facilitation Reference Guide:
- Set a day and time for your group to meet - Make sure to send reminders. If you’re meeting in person, snacks are always a good idea!
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol.
- Prepare yourself for April by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on April 1st.
Feedback Form:
Please check out our NEW talk back form! We are asking readers to respond to a SINGLE question based on your reading, reflecting, and discussion this month. Please talk back to us. We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
This month, we recommend you consider donating to a rapid response fund supporting immigrant communities near you, or that you support communities in Minnesota. You can donate to the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.