The School Committee discusses a policy to allow the Protect Act to be implemented in Chicopee Public Schools.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — For the second straight meeting, the Chicopee School Committee has not adopted the PROTECT Act policy. The proposed policy is in case any law enforcement agent attempts to make a civil arrest on school grounds.
On Aug. 5, Gov. Maura Healey signed into law the PROTECT Act, which, in part, amended MGL Chapter 71 and requires that all school districts have, as of Sept. 1, a policy that prohibits civil law enforcement activities on school property absent a judicial order or judicial warrant.
The policy also addresses student and staff safety when interacting with law enforcement agents engaging in civil law enforcement activities on school property, including, but not limited to, federal immigration authorities.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees sent a model policy to each School Committee to enact, according to Attorney Becky Bocuhard, who was at the Chicopee School Committee meeting.
Most recently, the Chicopee School Committee did not approve the PROTECT Act policy at its Sept. 16 meeting after approving the first reading on Sept. 2. The policy needed eight votes to pass, but it received six votes for approval, two votes against and one abstention.
At the Oct. 7 School Committee meeting, Mayor John Vieau, who also serves as the committee chair, said the item was back on the agenda due to the schools being in violation of state law.
The only way the item could be brought back up was with a motion of reconsideration by one of the two members who voted no. School Committee member Ronald Benard was the only member present who previously voted no but he said he was not going to entertain making a new motion to discuss the act again.
That was the last item on the agenda before the group entered executive session for other items.
Reminder Publishing reached out to the mayor’s office and superintendent’s office about next steps after the School Committee failed to pass the proposal. Both the mayor’s office and the superintendent’s office did not respond before press time.
Based on previous reporting by Reminder Publishing, Superintendent Dr. Marcus Ware read the policy aloud to the School Committee during the Sept. 16 meeting. The PROTECT Act states that civil arrests made by civil law enforcement, including federal immigration enforcement, are not allowed on school grounds during school hours, student drop-off and pickup windows, before and after school programming and at school-sponsored events without a judicial warrant or judicial order.
The act also states that the school superintendent will implement PROTECT Act procedures consistent with the model procedures and guidance for K-12 schools regarding interactions with civil law enforcement issued by the governor’s office, the executive office of education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The procedure can be implemented wherever applicable and aligns with the district’s emergency operation plans.
If the policy passes the School Committee in the future, at least one senior staff member would be in each building, and those staff members would be educated on the policy and procedures in case a situation arises. They would also serve as the primary contact with the law enforcement agents.
The policy provides procedures for contacting the school’s district attorney, the senior administrator or the district superintendent if a civil law enforcement agent arrives on school grounds. Additionally, the policy includes language for requesting information about a student or staff member and information about documenting all interactions with law enforcement agents. It also contains information about notifying a student’s parents or guardian and plans to share the policy on the school’s district site.
Ware said that if the act were adopted, he would begin to identify individuals to serve as the point of contact in each building. He said the district currently has other policies in place, but the PROTECT Act would replace those.
