LAUSD and the SELA community prepare for a safe return to classes amid ICE raids

As the fall semester quickly approaches, parents, educators, and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) continue planning for safe return options for all, amid ICE raids. Despite a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in Los Angeles prohibiting immigration agents from detaining people without reasonable cause, the arrests continue.

Areas like Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) have been severely impacted by these sweeps. 

Karla Franco, a parent of an 11th grader at South Gate High School, said the school has been doing a great job protecting families. The last week of July, the school did enrollment by appointment only so parents wouldn’t have to wait in line outside of school like in previous years. But despite the efforts, the tension was palpable. 

“During registration, parents were talking but at the same time turning around at all times to make sure they were safe,” said Franco. 

The parent leader and community volunteer said it was very emotional when she went to enroll her daughter and heard people saying the situation was worse than COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, they said, at least they could go out with a face mask, but under these circumstances, they stay inside to avoid any detentions without probable cause. 

“I had a lot of volunteer parents who stopped coming to help [at school] and now they are very scared,” she said. “One of them is already planning his return to his country with his family.”

LAUSD may already be seeing the impacts of ICE raids in its summer enrollment data. On the first day of the summer 2024 semester, about 1 in 3 students were absent. In 2025, nearly half of students missed the first day of summer classes.

Aid inside and outside of the classroom

After learning that families were fearful to go outside, Franco decided to take an extra step and is working with a group of volunteers to take food donations to these families. She relies mainly on high school students who pack the food boxes for their immigrant neighbors.

Leonardo Cano, a student who is about to start 10th grade at South Gate High, said he feels good to help his community in uncertain times.

“I never expected to be surrounded by ICE in my community, but I feel completely safe and willing to help,” he said. 

His mother, Sussy Cano, said she has four school-age children, including one with autism.

Even though the Cano family is legal in the country, Sussy said she still feels the pain of her community because she still has other relatives and friends who are undocumented.

“We never expected this situation to come, but we are trying our best to help,” she said.

South Gate Councilman Gil Hurtado said he understands the fear of people after seeing immigration officials arresting everyone, even residents or US citizens. 

“I'm not an immigrant. I was born and raised here, and by law, I don't have to carry any documents,” he said. “But even with that, I carry mine out of that concern, out of that fear, because the things that are happening nationwide, we're seeing it.”

He said the City of South Gate joined legal efforts with other cities and the LA County in response to the recent unlawful detentions by immigration officers in the area. 

The lawsuit Perdomo, et al. v. Noem, et al., states that these actions have disrupted local communities, causing fear among residents and placing additional strain on local law enforcement resources.

iAttend outreach program

In order to prevent further chronic absenteeism, LAUSD is working on several fronts to help families who feel at risk. One of them is to create access to school buses for all students who need them.

A spokesperson with LAUSD said the district is developing a new process to address specialized student transportation needs beyond standard service. 

“This effort is part of our broader commitment to ensuring equitable access and support for all students. While still in the planning phase, the system aims to provide a clear, efficient pathway for schools to request additional transportation when needed,” the spokesperson said.

Another effort is LAUSD Superintendent Albert Carvalho visiting homes. On Tuesday he was on the eastside providing resources besides transportation. This included tutoring, academic help, and social-emotional support to meet students and families.

“The road to success starts with showing up –and we're continuing our commitment to making sure every student is supported and seen,” said Carvalho on social media after the visits. 

He said LAUSD is strengthening the program with a renewed focus on intensive, personalized support for students. 

“Today's home visits mark the beginning of this year's ongoing work to reduce chronic absenteeism and set the tone for a strong start,” said Carvalho. “School teams, including teachers, principals, and community representatives, are visiting families aboard our electric school buses, welcoming students and ensuring they feel connected.”

Ending chronic absenteeism could create a positive impact in the SELA area, where student absenteeism has been declining since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Data shows that for the 2018-2019 school year, the enrollment was about 13,000 students and one in four high schools had chronic absences. By the 2023-2024 school year, the enrollment went down to 12,000 students and one in three chronically absent. 

This article was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2024 Data Fellowship.