CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte East Language Academy Parent Teacher Association and community organizations requested the school board to allow them to distribute flyers with immigration resources on school grounds. 

What You Need To Know

  •  The Charlotte East Language Academy PTA and community organizations asked the school board for permission to distribute flyers with immigration-related information

  •  The groups want to distribute this information before the end of the school year Tuesday but the district has not announced a decision yet

  •  The board policy indicates nonschool groups must receive approval for distributing nonschool materials on school grounds

  •  The groups are also asking for in-person, trauma-informed training for teachers for students affected by immigration issues

Several parents from the CELA PTA and representatives from organizations, including Carolina Migrant Network and ourBRIDGE For KIDS, spoke before the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, about this matter Thursday. 

They are requesting this permission with the intent of distributing it before the last day of the school year Tuesday. 

This after last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made arrests near CELA. According to ICE, it arrested Adrian Ojeda-Calvillo, who it said is undocumented and has an extensive criminal history, as part of this enforcement action on May 12. 

The CELA PTA said a parent of a child at the school was also arrested that same day near the school drop-off. ICE confirmed there was a second person arrested in the vicinity of the school but didn’t release any other details about that person. 

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is focused on public safety and national security threats first and foremost; however, any individual illegally present in the United States who is encountered by an immigration enforcement officer or agent may be taken into custody and processed for removal as stated by law,” said ICE in a statement released after these arrests. 

Elizabeth Hairgrove, a member of the CELA PTA said she and her children saw the ICE enforcement activity. She said this situation shook some in the school community.

“It was hard for the parents at that point so they were so afraid to drop off their kids, and the kids were afraid to go to school because they were afraid that if they got home, their parents would be gone. And, I mean, my kids were afraid that their friends were going to be taken,” Hairgrove said. “It was hard for the parents at that point so they were so afraid to drop off their kids, and the kids were afraid to go to school because they were afraid that if they got home, their parents would be gone. And, I mean, my kids were afraid that their friends were going to be taken,” Hairgrove said. 

Her husband Stephen Hairgrove, a CELA PTA member and a CMS teacher, spoke before the BOE asking for approval to distribute Know Your Rights flyers, which detail individual rights when encountering federal agencies. 

“I think that for us in schools, we need to make sure that we're clearly demonstrating that we are a safe place for all of our families,” Stephen Hairgrove said. 

The Hairgroves have three children at CELA, which is a Spanish Immersion Magnet School. 

“We love the diversity there. We love that our families come from dozens of different countries from all over,” Elizabeth Hairgrove said. 

According to the Board Policy on Distribution and Display of Non-school Materials updated May 27, nonschool groups need district approval to digitally distribute or display nonschool materials. 

“Permission or denial of permission to distribute or display material does not imply approval or disapproval of its contents by school system administrators, the Board of Education or the individual reviewing the material submitted,” the policy reads. 

Organizations may appeal the denial to distribute material by requesting the Board of Education for a discretionary hearing. 

The CELA PTA also requested in-person, trauma-informed training for CMS teachers and staff on how to support students impacted by family separation and immigration-related stress.

CMS hasn’t said whether it will allow the group to distribute the flyers. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the district and a spokesperson said they are reviewing this matter and don’t have additional information at this time.