Know Your Educational Rights

Immigration-Enforcement Actions at California Schools 

(Guide for Students and Families - English)
(Guide for Students and Families - Spanish)

 

KNOW YOUR EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS

Your Child has the Right to a Free Public Education

• All children have a right to equal access to free public education, regardless of their or their parents’/guardians’ immigration status.
• All children in California:
  • Have the right to a free public education. 
  • Must be enrolled in school if they are between 6 and 18 years old. 
  • Have the right to attend safe, secure, and peaceful schools. 
  • Have a right to be in a public school learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence, and intimidation. 
  • Have equal opportunity to participate in any program or activity offered by the school without discrimination.

Information Required for School Enrollment 

• Schools must accept a variety of documents from the student’s parent or guardian to demonstrate proof of child’s age or residency.
• Information about citizenship/immigration status is never needed for school enrollment. A Social Security number is never needed for school enrollment. 

Confidentiality of Personal Information 

• Federal and state laws protect student education records and personal information. These laws generally require that schools get written consent from parents or guardians before releasing student information, unless the release of information is for educational purposes, is already public, or is in response to a court order or subpoena.

Family Safety Plans if You Are Detained or Deported 

• You can update your child’s emergency contact information, including secondary contacts, to identify a trusted adult guardian who can care for your child if you are detained or deported. 
• You can complete a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit or a Petition for Appointment of Temporary Guardian of the Person to give a trusted adult the authority to make educational and medical decisions for your child. 

Right to File a Complaint 

• Your child has the right to report a hate crime or file a complaint to the school district if he or she is discriminated against, harassed, intimidated or bullied because of his or her actual or perceived nationality, ethnicity, or immigration status.

Links to Sylvan Union School District Board Policies:

(related to Assembly Bill 495 and Assembly Bill 98 (2025))

• Board Policy 1445: Response to Immigration Enforcement
• Administrative Regulation 1445: Response to Immigration Enforcement
• Board Policy 0450: Comprehensive Safety Plan
• Administrative Regulation 0450: Comprehensive Safety Plan
• Board Policy 1340: Access to District Records
• Administrative Regulation 1340: Access to District Records
• Board Policy 5125: Student Records
• Administrative Regulation 5125: Student Records
• Board Policy 5125.1: Release of Directory Information
• Administrative Regulation 5125: Release of Directory Information
• Exhibit 5125: Release of Directory Information

Resources for Families:

California Department of Education - 

Our Schools: Resources for Including Immigrant Families

ACSA Resource Hub - Immigration Enforcement

Attorney General Contact Information:

For more information on resources for responding to immigration enforcement activities at California schools, or to file a complaint, please contact:

Bureau of Children’s Justice
California Attorney General’s Office

P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Phone: (800) 952-5225
E-mail: BCJ@doj.ca.gov