Several Seattle schools shelter in place due to reported ICE activity

UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools officials clarified at a Wednesday school board meeting that only four schools took precautions, acknowledging that they mistakenly reported Tuesday that Dearborn Park International and Beacon Hill International were also sheltering in place.

Unconfirmed community reports” of possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity led several Seattle public schools to shelter in place and keep students inside Tuesday, district officials said.

At least six schools in and around South Seattle and Beacon Hill were under shelter-in-place protocols at one point Tuesday, according to Seattle Public Schools: Aki Kurose Middle School, Cleveland STEM High School, Maple Elementary, Mercer International Middle School, Dearborn Park International and Beacon Hill International.

It wasn’t clear whether ICE officers were actually in the area, and the district didn’t provide details about the initial reports that spurred the shelter-in place decisions.

“During shelter‑in‑place, students continue their regular class schedules but remain inside the building,” a district statement said. “Seattle Public Schools Safety and Security staff have been present throughout the day and have not observed any ICE presence. Staff remain on alert as a precaution.”

The district said “a shelter‑in‑place is a standard safety practice often used when there is any reported law enforcement activity nearby.”

While Seattle hasn’t seen a surge in immigration enforcement akin to that currently taking place in Minneapolis, the schools’ actions on Tuesday reflected just how high tensions are — and the effect even unconfirmed reports of ICE presence are having on the daily lives of students and their families.

Aki Kurose lifted its shelter-in-place at noon and Cleveland lifted it after lunch, according to the district. The others were expected to lift it at their dismissal times Tuesday afternoon.

The notifications sent to parents varied in their details: At Cleveland STEM High, Principal Jeff Lam told families in an email Tuesday that there were “credible reports of ICE activity in the community and possibly at other school campuses,” though not at Cleveland.

Maple Elementary School families received a message from principal Daisy Barragan saying a “nearby private school reported suspicious vehicle activity in the neighborhood,” but that there was “no activity directly involving Maple.”

Aki Kurose registrar Katie Jolgren said the middle school was notified by Seattle Public Schools that ICE agents may be trying to draw out families who were warned of ICE activity and were coming to school to pick up their children.

Jolgren said external doors were locked, and students were required to stay inside and couldn’t go to the field or playground. They could only leave if a family member came to pick them up, but it was business as usual inside.

Some parents picked up their children early out of caution, Jolgren said. Security support staff were expected to be watching over pickup and drop-off locations.

At pickup, Kate Reddy, who has a sixth grader and eighth grader at Aki Kurose, said she’d been at work when she got an email notification that the school was under a shelter-in-place order.

She said the incident was “very scary,” and made her think about ways Seattle families could be of help to others: For example, forming a network of community members who could offer carpools to kids whose parents are afraid of encountering ICE agents, she said.

That’s an effort already taking place in Minneapolis, where parents are organizing car rides and perimeter patrols to get students to class safely.

“The things we’re seeing on the news are going to happen here,” said Reddy, who lives in Columbia City. “It made me tear up.”

Parent Josh Apfel had been at home sick with his 13-year-old son when the teen got a text from a friend that Cleveland STEM High School was under a shelter-in-place order. Soon, he got another text from his 12-year-old confirming that Aki Kurose was under a shelter-in-place, too.

“I’ve been expecting things like this, so it’s not a surprise, you know?” Apfel, 53, said.

Apfel texted his child that they were safe inside the school, but that he could pick them up if they wanted. His child declined.

Apfel’s 13-year-old son texted his sibling that he was glad he was home sick from school that day, Apfel said.

SPS policy does not allow federal immigration authorities to access school buildings unless required by law, and says staff should not let immigration authorities into school buildings without consulting the district’s general counsel.

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis, whose district includes South Seattle, issued a statement praising the “quick thinking” of SPS.

“It’s a sad day in King County — or anywhere in America — when children and their families must live in fear of being abducted by their own government,” Lewis said. “I am deeply concerned about the ongoing impacts of this kind of activity in King County, especially in historically marginalized communities.