This was a chilling week for North Carolinians. ICE and Border Patrol operations rattled communities, leaving students and families unsure if school would be safe. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration unveiled a plan to shift key Department of Education programs to other federal agencies, creating new uncertainty for schools and placing students once again in the crossfire of unclear policies.
Students in the Crosshairs of Policy Gaps
Thousands of families in North Carolina were forced to make an unimaginable decision this week–one no parent should ever have to face: Should I keep my children home where they feel safest, or send them to school? Schools and communities did not arrive at this moment on their own. Rather, they were placed here without sufficient state or federal guidance to address the implications of the latest ICE operations. Without clear safety plans or coordinated communication, families acted out of caution and fear. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools saw more than 30,000 absences on Monday, and in Wake County, 19 schools recorded attendance rates below 80% on Tuesday.
District leaders issued statements meant to reassure families, but reassurance without concrete systems or protocols left communities uncertain about what safety actually meant in practice. As a result, teachers followed buses to ensure students reached a trusted adult, parents and neighbors positioned themselves along school routes to protect children walking home, and local organizers moved quickly to share information about rights, reported sightings, and donation efforts. Even when students eventually return, schools will need to rely heavily on trauma-informed and student well-being practices–at a time when North Carolina’s counselor, school psychologist, and social worker staffing levels already fall far short of national recommendations. These events illustrate how critical it is for state and local policymakers to proactively address the safety needs of students and families in moments of heightened fear.
Unprecedented Shift of Federal K-12 Education Programs
After a turbulent year of federal funding disruptions, the Trump administration announced interagency agreements that would transfer most K-12 education funding from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor–without congressional approval. Services for students with disabilities, civil rights enforcement, and student loans are not affected for now, but their long-term status is uncertain. The proposal shifts the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education–responsible for more than $28 billion in annual funding, including Title I for low-income students, Title III for English-learner services, and Title IV for academic enrichment and before-and after-school programs, among others–to the Department of Labor.
The administration is framing the change as a co-administration strategy to better align education programs with workforce needs. While positioned as a way to reduce bureaucracy, this partnership raises new questions about oversight and whether the Department of Labor has the capacity to administer such complex K-12 programs. Legal experts also question whether the administration can move offices that Congress explicitly created within the Education Department. These unanswered questions create significant uncertainty for districts that depend on these funds to plan staffing, programs, and supports for students.
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