Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and surrounding communities.
Get yours: subscribe here. Refer a friend: share this link.
Community members joined a recent Batavia Board of Education meeting, many of them urging officials to adopt a formal policy limiting or clarifying how immigration enforcement operates on school property — beyond what state law already requires.
Key things to know:
Residents and parents urged action. Multiple speakers — including a retired teacher, parents, a student, and Aurora’s deputy mayor — called on the board to pass a district-level policy designating schools as protected spaces and clearly defining how immigration agents can interact with staff and students.
Requests went beyond state law. While Illinois’ Safe Schools for All Act takes effect in 2026, speakers asked Batavia to go further by adding staff training and incorporating elements explaining what’s required if enforcement officers come to school grounds.
Student and staff fear was a major theme. Several commenters said fear around immigration enforcement is already affecting students’ sense of safety and ability to learn, with one student directly asking the board to take local action instead of waiting for the state.
Board acknowledged the push. One board member thanked the community for speaking out and said the district is working on policy efforts to make students feel seen, supported, and protected on school property.
The board did not vote on a resolution at the meeting. Watch the full meeting recording.
📖 Thanks for reading
Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.
Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.