An emergency bill to require California schools to notify parents and school staff when federal immigration officers are operating in the area passed the state Legislature on Sept. 2.
Senate Bill 98—dubbed the Sending Alerts to Families in Education, or SAFE Act—is now waiting to be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“With students returning to school, this legislation is more important than ever,” the bill’s author, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, a Democrat from Pasadena, said in a statement. “The SAFE Act will inform and protect immigrant students and their families on school campuses.”
If signed into law, the measure will require all elementary, secondary, charter schools, and college campuses to make the notifications. The schools would need to update their safety plans to include procedures for the notifications and provide additional resources for families about their educational rights, state privacy laws, and counseling or support services….