There’s friction between Austin ISD‘s administration, employee union Education Austin, and certain board members over how to respond to recent U.S. Immi­gra­tion and Customs Enforcement actions in Austin. On Feb. 10, Superintendent Paul Cruz provided a list of support services for refugee and immigrant students. That same day, Education Austin distributed fliers headlined “What to do if ICE comes to your door” to its members to hand out to students. The following day, EA hosted a “Know Your Rights” training session for teachers at Becker Elementary, to be followed by immigration clinics at Akins High on Feb. 25 and Dobie Middle School on March 11. On Monday, however, Cruz’s office sent a memo to campus administrators indicating that AISD “activities, statements, and reactions are immensely scrutinized,” and reminding them of existing policy that staff should not talk about “political affiliation, views, protests, advocacy or other controversial issues or topics that may arise while on District property.” This induced the ire of both the union and Board Vice President Paul Saldaña, who criticized what he called “the conservative tone of the memorandum.” Wednesday morning, EA representatives held a press conference to voice support for the school district’s immigrant students.

This article appears in February 17 • 2017.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.