On March 25, 2026, Education Week published an opinion piece by the National Academy of Education (NAEd) Board of Directors urging Markwayne Mullin, the newly-sworn in Secretary of the U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enact practices to ensure that all students feel safe and secure attending schools and all parents and guardians feel safe bringing their children to and from school.
The opinion piece articulates the potential harms to students, families, teachers, and schools of immigration enforcement decisions, highlighting the research that the NAEd provided in February 2026 to then-Secretary of DHS Kristi Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons.
Education has long been recognized as the backbone of our American democracy, and we have a strong legal and moral tradition of educating all children, regardless of their or their family’s immigration status. Historically, schools have been protected spaces in our society designed to nurture healthy development and educate and socialize future generations to democratic values.
Research on child development, school climate, and student well-being demonstrates that heightened enforcement activity negatively affects student attendance, achievement, engagement, and mental health. Research documents increases in absenteeism following enforcement raids, as well as long-term harms associated with fear of family separation including toxic stress. Moreover, these effects extend beyond students in immigrant families and impact entire school communities.
The NAEd Board urged Secretary Mullin to consider these harms as he leads DHS.