The policies of the new administration in D.C. have created ripples in the communities Transform works with as part of the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program. We serve many mixed-status families. At times like these, fear can run high, leading parents to keep students home from school, impeding their education.

The Transform Site Coordinator Team, through the Safe Routes Program, has tools like the walking school buses, which can do more than help children walk safely to school. By providing safety in numbers and sharing the work of shepherding students to school safely, walking school buses can also help protect parents and youth who might be targeted by ICE.

Here are some things you can do to help keep your school community safe for all students to learn.

Start a walking school bus

A walking school bus is a simple concept: a group of students walks to school together with adult supervision. The “bus” follows a route that takes it through the neighborhood, stopping at designated meeting points and picking up more young people on the way. 

The adults who chaperone the bus can be an informal rotation of parents or trained volunteers. Our team can help connect you to resources like toolkits in English and Spanish, as well as other resources developed by the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program to get started.

What to do if ICE approaches your walking school bus

The adults leading your walking school bus should educate themselves about what to do if approached by ICE agents and make a plan. Your plan should include:

• If you see immigration agents, move the group to a safe indoor space nearby. This could be the home of a family with students taking the bus, a recreation center, or, if you’re close enough, a school building.
• If you can’t move indoors, stay calm and try to keep the students calm. Try to keep everyone together. 
• Adults and youth have the right to refuse to answer questions. You have the right to refuse to be searched.
• Immigrants who are legal residents should carry their papers. They may wish to show them to ICE.
• An adult who is a U.S. citizen may wish to film the interaction. However, no one should interfere with or try to impede ICE.
• Prepare ahead of time by creating a contact list, including emergency contacts, for everyone in your walking school bus, and make sure route leaders carry copies with them.

For more information, see the ACLU or the National Immigration Justice Center.

How to be an ally

If you see a walking school bus or other people approached by ICE agents, you can be an ally. Here are some possible actions to take to support the safety of our immigrant neighbors.

• Do not impede or obstruct ICE agents.
• Print red cards that detail immigrants’ rights and carry them with you. Hand them out. Use the instructions on the card if you see someone stopped by ICE.
• Stand in solidarity: join the group being questioned by ICE and refuse to answer questions until a lawyer is present. 
• Use your camera to take photos or videos.
• Report raids you witness. Call the 24-hour hotline in Alameda County at 510-241-4011. 

For more information, see Indivisible or United We Dream.

Lean into community

One of the things that makes us strong is our community ties. Walking to school together is a fantastic way to build community strength by getting to know each other better. Safe Routes encouragement programs help build resilient networks that can be leveraged for mutual aid, while we’re teaching youth about sustainable transportation.