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Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said the district will continue following the law after federal officials lifted restrictions on immigration enforcement in or near schools, churches and health care facilities.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman issued a directive rescinding Biden administration guidelines that had limited Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection actions around locations designated as “sensitive areas.”
In a Jan. 25 superintendent’s message, Reid pointed to the 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, which established that children have a right to public education regardless of their immigration status.
Reid said the ruling found that denying that access violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The decision also emphasized public education’s essential role in preparing children to participate productively in society.