The leader of one of Iowa’s most diverse school districts says the families she serves are scared after President Donald Trump promised mass deportations of immigrants.
Shortly after taking office, Trump changed federal policy to allow immigration officers to make arrests at schools, as well as churches and hospitals.
Stacey Cole is the superintendent of Storm Lake Community Schools, where minority students make up more than 80 percent of enrollment.
“That's what's hard, there's so much fear that there are just rumors going on all the time. We have no reason to believe that, you know, that's going to happen. That being said, I can't tell anyone that it will never happen,” Cole said.
Cole says she would like to focus on education instead of helping to calm the anxiety of parents and students.
Cole says many are worried ICE agents have already been targeting people in the Storm Lake area. So far, those are only rumors, and the superintendent said combating misinformation takes time.
Cole says ICE agents would need a warrant or legal documentation to enter any school building.
