CINCINNATI — While there were multiple high-priority budget items on the agenda for Monday's Cincinnati Board of Education meeting, some parents told us safety was their top concern after officers claiming to work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entered local schools.
Two Village of Gratis police officers showed up at three westside Cincinnati public schools on April 16, telling administrators they were there to conduct immigration-related wellness checks on students.
The incident sparked confusion, concern and a lot of questions from parents about what happened and how the district will move forward.
"I was shocked, everyone in the community has a lot of questions," said Christian Davis, founder of the Cincinnati Parent Empowerment Network. "This isn't an isolated issue; it could potentially happen again, and hopefully it doesn't, and if it does, I'm happy we have local and county law enforcement supporting the district."
The Cincinnati Parent Empowerment Network, also known as CPEN, is a group of CPS families that helps parents become better educational advocates for their students by providing resources and training.
Davis is also a parent in the district. She said these types of situations can break trust between students and local law enforcement.
"They're going to be asking questions and really holding the district accountable to make sure that all of their staff are trained accordingly to address these kinds of issues," Davis said. "But we're also going to be asking questions about additional community support and organizations that can support our immigrant families, because students are only in the school buildings for so long, but they do have to go home."
WATCH: CPS parents are raising concerns and asking how to support immigrant families
CPS Superintendent Shauna Murphy said last week she saw the incident as a threat, but noted that school staff followed protocol and stopped the officers near the front door — never allowing them to interact with any CPS students.
"We only give access to children through their parent or through a parent's consent that we know we have on file," said Murphy.
Murphy said this was the first time the district had had this kind of interaction with ICE or officers claiming to work for ICE.
Despite the shock of the incident, parents expressed gratitude for the district's quick communication.
"I'm thankful for how transparent our Superintendent and school board member Eve Bolton were in naming what police officers were involved to bring everything into light," parent Sarah Beach said.
Beach said the incident highlights broader concerns for immigrant families in the area.
"Recently, ICE, on Jan. 21, 2025, said that schools, churches and hospitals are no longer safe spots for immigration enforcement, and I think that brings real harm to our community," said Beach.
ICE said in a statement that Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna was not an ICE officer, and the visits were not an enforcement action. The village council has since placed Lamanna on leave.
"The superintendent has vocally stressed the importance of making sure that our schools are considered safe spaces. And when we know of incidents like this, where literally anyone from any jurisdiction can just come into one of our school buildings, or at least attempt to, or in our communities, that's very scary," said Davis.
