No response.

Thank you for this important question. My platform, Heart in Every Decision (emphasis original), means leading with empathy, transparency, and courage, especially when the law and what’s right for children don’t always align perfectly.

CMS currently partners with law enforcement and community agencies to support students, but too many families still feel unheard and unsure of their rights. As a board member, I will show up differently by ensuring families hear directly from CMS that we will protect their children to the fullest extent of our authority (emphasis original).

That means clearly communicating CMS’s stance that immigration enforcement cannot occur on school property without a judicial warrant, expanding multilingual outreach, ongoing training principals and staff on compassionate response protocols and expanding that to families and community members, and proactively providing counseling and support for students experiencing fear or trauma.

If students are our top priority, our actions and our communication must reflect it. Every child deserves to attend school and learn without fear.

“Families deserve to hear us say clearly: we will protect your children to the fullest extent of our authority. We can follow the law, but we must lead with heart (emphasis original).”

Let me know if you would prefer to talk live. I am so glad you reached out about this.

Thank you for reaching out and for elevating such an important concern. I am painfully aware that many immigrant and mixed-status families in our community are afraid to send their children to school due to increased immigration-enforcement activity. I have been in conversation with families and district leaders to understand the needs and fears that are surfacing. When a child stays home out of fear, it is not simply an attendance issue, it is a crisis of trust and safety.

CMS faces a difficult and complex reality. The district must follow federal and state law, yet it does not set those laws. Even so, our responsibility is clear: every child deserves to learn in an environment where they feel safe, valued, and protected.

If elected, I will work directly and consistently with immigrant families, advocacy organizations, faith partners, and community leaders to serve as a bridge between the district and our community. My focus will be ensuring families receive clear information about their rights, district policies, and available supports, and advocating for trauma-informed practices that help students feel seen and safe. We should do everything in our power, within the law, to protect children, maintain school as a safe space, and reassure families that CMS exists to educate and support, not to police or intimidate.

Our schools must continue to be a place where every child can learn without fear, and I will stand firm in that commitment.

Thank you so much for this question!!! If you've seen any of my forums, you know this one is HUGE for me!

I would push for the passage of a Safe Zone Resolution policy that outlines, in addition to what CMS is already doing, added assurances such as requiring agents to present a request to enter school sites directly to the Superintendent's Office first. Only once the review of the validity of the judicial warrant, and the officer's identity and employment are done, can the officer appear at a school site, joined by the district's general counsel. The policy also outlines the written agreement required for all campus security and resource officers within the school system that they will not ask about or record any information about student status or place of birth and that they will not participate in immigration enforcement efforts of federal authorities in any way. The policy also declares that it should be posted at every school site and distributed to every employee, family, and vendor within the system. It provides protection for teachers and employees to discuss the policy and subjects therein. I would also make sure that "Know Your Rights" information is distributed to all families and available in multiple languages at each school site.

I'm sure that's more than 150 words, and that I would add even more protections as I got to work on these things, but that's the bare minimum that I would push for to keep our students and families safe. 

Thank you again for this question and for being a part of a group like Concerned CMS Parents for Safe and Welcoming Schools!

As a current CMS employee, I have personally witnessed students staying home due to fear. In contrast, CMS’s current policy provides some comfort. However, more comprehensive action is needed to protect and support families affected by immigration enforcement.

As a board member, I will champion a Safe Learning Zone policy to ensure every CMS campus remains a place for learning, not enforcement. I will establish a Rapid Response & Family Support Network, collaborating with trusted community partners, including the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, BRIDGE for Kids, the Carolina Migrant Network, the Latin American Coalition, and International House Charlotte. This network will provide multilingual outreach, legal rights education, and coordinated emergency response when enforcement activity threatens student safety.

Additionally, I will advocate for transparent attendance and wellness reporting to ensure families feel safe, informed, and included in decision-making processes. The genuine needs of our schools will always guide my policies, and my decision-making efforts will be grounded in trust, inclusion, and transparency for all.

If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me via email or at xxx-xxx-xxxx. I appreciate CMS Parents for Safe and Welcoming Schools and your support! If elected, and even if not, I look forward to working with you in the near future.

As a woman of African descent whose people have been subjected to overt and systemic racism and as an attorney that works in the area of employment law, that includes discrimination cases, I cannot support any form of discrimination or marginalization, especially the use of public dollars to do so. The Board and district have an obligation to ensure that students feel and are safe and have opportunities to thrive academically and emotionally. It begins with SPEAKING UP! However, speaking up is not enough! The Board has an obligation to ensure that its mission, vision and core beliefs (B-MVC, S-BULY, A-MULT, B-EQU) are executed through its goals, district’s strategic vision and operation. As a board member I will continue to speak up, ask questions, enforce policies, develop board academic goals and adopt a budget that are in alignment with inclusivity.

EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE! We must ensure that the superintendent makes sure that each and every employee that interacts with our students is aware of what is expected of them if there is ICE engagement on our property when the new school year starts. To be clear ICE is not simply allowed in our schools or on our property without an executed warrant. We have modified our Board policy in regard to distribution of materials at school for community partners to provide information regarding resources. SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT! We must ensure that the superintendent makes sure that our families are aware that ICE are not simply allowed in our schools or on our property without an executed warrant, our personnel know what to do if ICE is on our property; and we have school counselors available for mental health support. Please note CMS DOES NOT COLLECT INFORMATION ON IMMIGRATION STATUS! We do not know which students/families are undocumented. We must enroll any and every student that is a resident.

As a board we must ensure that we take the actions to protect and not actions that will invite ICE activity. I know that there are some that believe there should be proclamations, however it really should be viewed through the lens that those acts create a target for our district, students and families, especially considering that there are already those (including public officials) that have called for ICE to have more presence in our city. At CMS we are doing the EXACT same things that other districts (in less targeted cities) have stated through proclamations, but without the proclamation, instead we have communicated these actions to those within our districts, students, families, and staff. AND We must do more of it until students and families are confident and comfortable that we are not and will not simply allow ICE on our property, buses and classrooms. Something we can do is send information asking what parents need, however, we will not know which parents are undocumented.

Summary of what has occurred

• Numerous Communications directly with parents beginning in Jan 2025 through the beginning of this school year with information regarding our policies and resources including relevant agencies as well as encouragement to reach out to counselors

• Summer training for district staff

• Video resource guide issue to staff

• Numerous electronic communications to staff

• Board changed the policy in regards to distribution of materials (this was implemented by the board so that the red card can be distributed.)

Please let me know if there are any additional questions.

Thank you for your important question. First, I want to say that I am appalled by the actions of ICE across the country and locally as they have terrorized innocent people and communities.

I also want to acknowledge that while I would love to be able to ban ICE from our campuses, the Board of Education does not have the ability to take that step by law. Doing so would likely cause the district to lose a significant amount of federal funding that would jeopardize important programs that support our underserved communities.

But if we have to follow the law, so does ICE. I support Board members in making sure that every CMS employee at every level has the tools and training necessary to request all documentation necessary from ICE for them to be on our campuses. Without a warrant, they have no right to be here. We should provide no leeway and should back up any employee who takes the courageous step to deny entry to ICE agents who are not following the letter of the law. If they forget to cross a T or dot an I, they should be denied.

I also want to work with community leaders and other governmental bodies such as the county commission and relevant municipal governments to make sure impacted communities also have the resources they need to protect themselves and feel safe in sending their children to CMS schools. This includes necessary mental health resources that support staff, students, and families impacted by ICE’s actions.

When we say CMS should be for all, we have to mean it.

No response.

Every child deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported at school, no exceptions. As a former educator and counselor, I know that learning cannot happen when students are living in fear. While Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools must comply with judge-signed orders and federal law, we also have a moral responsibility to protect the dignity and safety of every student in our care.

As a board member, I will prioritize clear communication, trauma-informed practices, and strong partnerships with families and community organizations so that students from immigrant and mixed-status households know school is a safe and welcoming place. I will advocate for consistent guidance and training for staff on how to respond to enforcement activity while minimizing disruption and fear. Every child, regardless of background or circumstance, should walk through our school doors knowing they belong and that their education is protected.

No child should ever be afraid to come to school. Our schools should be a sanctuary of learning, free from outside fears and distractions. What I would do differently is put a stronger emphasis on clear, consistent communication and rebuilding trust with families.

CMS is a diverse, minority-majority district, so our messaging must reach families in the languages they speak at home. I would strengthen multilingual communication and reaffirm the policies already in place that protect students, including ensuring law enforcement cannot enter schools without proper legal authority.

When students stay home out of fear, we have a real problem. As a board member, I will work to ensure every student feels safe walking through our doors and can focus on learning, growing, and belonging because that’s what school is for.

I believe that hot button issues involving immigration enforcement is something the School Board must address proactively and thoughtfully. My primary concern is ensuring that administrators at each school in the district have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities regarding the safety and rights of all children, regardless of their documentation status. It’s crucial that they possess a working knowledge of the legal obligations of both administrators and the school system to protect these students’ rights while they are on our campuses or in our classrooms. From a Board perspective, it’s paramount that we understand the school system’s role in addressing these sensitive issues and in upholding the rights that the law provides to all students. Communication is absolutely key here. If our message deviates from the fundamental understanding that the school system’s job is to keep children safe and protect the rights of all students, documented and undocumented, then we have failed. All individuals possess legally recognized rights, and these rights must be safeguarded within Charlotte-Mecklenburg School campuses. Therefore, establishing robust communication plans for administrators, students, and their parents is essential. These plans will ensure that everyone knows how to respond and what their rights are in immigration enforcement situations that may involve interaction with law enforcement. I truly see a vital opportunity for the School Board to take proactive measures to protect the rights of our students and their families while they are on school property.