GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A meeting is set Tuesday night between the Gwinnett County sheriff and teachers over concerns about the impact ICE operations in the county have on school kids.
The Gwinnett County Association of Educators says absenteeism is up and students are worried about the potential loss of family members. The group’s president, Alison Cundiff, said students who have dealt with ICE detentions in their family can’t help but be affected.
“We see it in different ways across the district. We see behavior issues, frequent absenteeism, just a sort of apathy,” Cundiff said.
The association said it wants the sheriff to pause cooperation with ICE and is also looking for more discussion.
“We want to be able to balance the Sheriff’s obligations of the law with the needs of our students,” Cundiff said.
Cundiff said educators want to understand how the process looks from a child’s perspective. “We want to know what these processes look like from the kids perspective, because that’s important too,” she said.
“As educators we understand what it’s like to be held accountable for things that are outside of our control and the sheriff has our sympathy there.”
Cundiff said the ramp-up in immigration enforcement has led to absenteeism and apathy in the classroom, especially when a student’s parent is taken into custody.
“At the heart of it is what we notice in our classrooms. To take away a breadwinner, to take away a figure of emotional stability; I mean why on earth would I expect a child to care about school when that is all happening,” she said.
The sheriff’s office agreed to what it called a “candid conversation regarding this delicate matter.” The meeting follows an open letter from teachers asking for a pause in cooperation with ICE.
A state House bill requires law enforcement agencies to coordinate with ICE when someone in custody is undocumented, penalizing agencies that don’t comply.
Cundiff said her group is also focused on solutions. “We’re trying to find solutions to make sure our kids have the best shot possible at a better future,” she said.
WSB Radio’s Jennifer Perry contributed to this story.