TTHS D205 guidance on immigration enforcement policy criticized as ‘facilitation,’ alumna says

An alumna is calling upon Thornton Township High Schools District 205 to tighten its guidelines to protect families from immigration enforcement on schools.

Harvey native Christina Gutierrez has been the driving force around Thornton Township creating a policy to guide interactions and requests from federal agents requesting information on students and accessing school property

Gutierrez said the district was 70 days late to implement a state-mandated policy by Jan. 1. Gutierrez said District 205 didn’t create a policy until March 11, where she previously criticized the board for lack of policy measures. “It’s a failure of legal oversight. It exposes this district to unnecessary legal risk,” she told the board at its regular meeting on April 15. 

The Safe Schools Act, which into effect Jan. 1, 2026, requires Illinois school districts to develop policies in response to immigration enforcement on campus. However, the bill gives Illinois school districts until July 1, 2026, to do so.

The District’s current policy would allow a federal officer to approach a school, and show a document to the school resource officers at the door. After being buzzed in, they will be escorted to the principal’s office. The principal will then contact the superintendent to confirm that it is a legal judicial warrant. Then, if a student is called out of class, teachers, classmates, nor parents are not notified of why the student has been taken. 

The District’s policy is compliant with state law. However, “that is not protection, that is facilitation,” Gutierrez said. She is requesting a stricter policy and shared key components with Superintendent Nathaniel Cunningham in a meeting, such as “mandatory staff training on this policy and protocols, and a letter to parents and guardians explaining the policy to students under the law, including FERPA.”

Gutierrez referenced a letter that nearby Bloom Township 206 created to communicate the policy to parents, stating that District 205 should be doing the same. Gutierrez’s requests were denied by the board in a board closed session, stating that the district has not been directly targeted. 

While not as pervasive as nearby Chicago, there has been some enforcement in the Southland. In October 2025, agents wearing tactical gear and face masks were seen detaining a person on 147th St. and Robey Ave. in front of West Harvey-Dixmoor School District’s 147 Rosa L. Parks Middle School in Dixmoor. The high school district services students from that village.

Passed by the Illinois state legislature that same month, the Bivens Act, authorizes individuals in Illinois to sue any individual who they alleged violated their civil rights while enforcing immigration laws at facilities, including churches, schools, and hospitals. 

That came nearly one year after the Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era memorandum that restricted enforcement in or around “protected areas,” or those where enforcement could prohibit someone’s ability to receive services or access there. That included, but was not limited to, schools. Now, the Trump administration gives officers more discretion around enforcement decisions, urging them to use “common sense,” according to a January 2025 declaration from then-acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Caleb Vitello.

Any updates or responses from the district are developing.

Students protest band teacher termination

Thornton students spoke out against the termination of Zachary Jones, the band director. At present, Jones will not be returning to the school for the 2026-27 school year. Students likened Jones to a father figure and “someone who they can look up to.” The board did not directly respond to students.

Artificial intelligence-driven weapon detection

The district approved a $833,410 five-year contract with Zero Eyes, an AI-enabled weapon detection. It will support the district’s 1,700 students throughout the school. In case of an emergency, the software can detect when a weapon has been brandished and picked up by the cameras. Trained officials will verify the accuracy of the scan and notify both appropriate personnel and first responders.  

According to the company sales representative, Zero Eyes is the country’s largest company to solve the school shootings crisis, with 600 clients across 45 states. Human staffers will monitor the cameras 24/7, but only view keyframes, or stills, and not video footage. THe software is compliant with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, meaning that it will protect student privacy rights. The district will begin using the software this school year at a pro-rated cost of $33,410. While it is a five-year contact, the district can terminate the contract after the third year.