Chicago Schools Excuse Absences For Families Fearful Of ICE

Chicago Public Schools has adopted an attendance policy that lets parents cite fear of federal immigration enforcement to excuse student absences, a move the district frames as protecting safety while critics say it invites truancy and shields illegal activity. The policy instructs schools to code those absences under a general “concern for student health and safety” and places no time limit on the practice. This article examines what the guidance allows, how it works in practice, and why it is drawing sharp criticism from those who want schools focused on learning and lawfulness.

The district’s guidance instructs school staff to treat parent or guardian reports of fear related to federal representatives as excusable. Officials emphasize a commitment to a safe classroom and to protections for students and staff, citing broad procedures designed to avoid inquiries about immigration status. This approach is tied to the city’s welcoming posture and to local ordinances that limit cooperation with federal immigration agents.

Under the policy, parents are told to identify absences simply as due to “concern for student health and safety” and to avoid supplying extra details so the family’s situation remains confidential. That single phrase becomes the official reason on attendance records, rather than a detailed explanation. Schools are directed not to probe and the district appears to accept the parent’s assertion at face value without a set expiration for the excuse.

The document also allows short-term guardians to request excused absences on behalf of students if a parent has been affected by federal representative-related procedures. Students may also be permitted to arrive late or leave early specifically to avoid official start and dismissal times when federal representatives might be present. Those provisions create a flexible window for skipping class tied to perceived enforcement activity.

The policy adds that students may receive one excused absence to participate in a civic event, such as a demonstration or protest. Meanwhile, the state does not currently allow a formal hybrid or remote option, though the district says it will update families if that changes. Together these pieces form a broader framework that makes attendance exceptions more available than in many other districts.

“Chicago Public Schools is effectively telling families that fear of federal law enforcement is a standing excuse to keep children out of class with no time limit and no paper trail,” Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. “CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool. Instead, public schools should be focused on getting kids to school and keeping accurate records, not quietly encouraging truancy and obstructing cooperation with federal authorities. This policy undermines both student learning and the rule of law.”

From a Republican perspective, this policy trades common-sense attendance accountability for political signaling, and the consequences are predictable. Schools should be enforcing regular attendance and accurate records, not creating open-ended excuses that invite abuse and hollow out oversight. The district’s posture hands local officials a tool to avoid federal law enforcement while putting everyday students at academic risk.

Practical problems are immediate: teachers and administrators lose clarity on why children are absent, districts cannot track chronic truancy when reasons are vague, and parents who want their kids in class are left competing with those who prefer absence for political or safety signaling. The lack of a time limit and the directive to avoid detailed documentation effectively creates a paper trail that goes dark.

Supporters will say the policy protects vulnerable families from frightening enforcement actions and preserves confidentiality; opponents will say it creates exceptions that can be stretched beyond the stated aim. What matters for classrooms is whether children are learning, showing up, and being accounted for—and this guidance makes those basic tasks harder. CPS did not respond to requests for comment.