Gov. Pritzker Meets with Educators, School Leaders Amid Threats of Federal Overreach
September 4, 2025
BERWYN- Today, Governor Pritzker visited Prairie Oak Elementary School in Berwyn to mark the beginning of the school year and learn more about the impact of pending federal actions on school communities. The Governor visited students in classrooms and met with district and school leadership, teachers, and support staff.
"Schools are anchors of the community that provide far more than a high-quality education – they provide stability, meals, and a safe space to learn and grow,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Amid unprecedented attacks on families with immigrants and escalating threats, schools continue to come together to educate and support our students while supporting the communities they serve.”
Amid the Trump Administration’s constant attacks on immigrant communities, schools play a critical role in providing a stable and safe learning environment, meals, resources for families, after school programs, and more. Under the U.S. Constitution, every child in the United States has the right to receive public K-12 education, regardless of their immigration status.
The State of Illinois is committed to ensuring schools are safe space for all students, regardless of immigration status, and all students should be empowered to learn without fear. The Illinois TRUST Act prevents law enforcement officials from participating in federal civil immigration matters, which includes local law enforcement agencies that may have a presence near or at a school.
Earlier this year after Trump took office, ISBE released guidance for Illinois public school districts on handling enforcement actions by the Department of Homeland Security on school property. The guidance strongly encourages school districts to create board policies and administrative guidelines with their legal counsel to create protocols.
When adopting policies, ISBE encourages school districts to take the following measures:
- Establish a point person or department where ICE personnel should be directed if they arrive on campus;
- Establish a process for tracking/reviewing records requests or subpoenas arriving from ICE or related authorities;
- Ensure student data-sharing policies throughout the district are up to date and readily available;
- Train faculty, staff, and administrators on implementing school policy in case of immigration enforcement action on campus;
- Encourage parents and legal guardians to keep their child’s emergency contacts updated and accurate; and
- Establish policies and procedures in the event a student’s parent or legal guardian is detained or deported.
School districts in Illinois are also encouraged to share Know Your Rights resources and information with students and their families. Multilingual examples of these resources can be found at illinoisimmigrationinfo.org.
The State of Illinois and ISBE continue to support school districts across Illinois with resources to serve immigrant students and their families. For more guidance on enrollment, literacy plans, bilingual education, and legal protections, visit www.isbe.net/Pages/newcomer-resources.aspx.
Governor Pritzker has made supporting and funding Illinois schools a priority, which includes increasing funding for schools by $2.1 billion since taking office, expanding early childhood block grants that provide free pre-k for a total $748 million in FY26, allocating $120 million for teacher vacancy grants over three years and much more.
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