An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent’s appearance at Central High School on Thursday was the source of several false rumors, Little Rock School District officials said.
In working with federal and local authorities, the Little Rock School District learned on Friday afternoon that a customs agent had been on campus at Central High School a day earlier, but the agent was there attempting to perform a background check on a former student who was seeking employment with the federal agency, spokeswoman Pamela Smith said.
“The person presented herself as an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement asking questions about a student who had graduated from the school,” Smith said. “This afternoon, officials told LRSD's Director of Safety and Security, Ron Self, that the person was not seeking status information on a student or students.“
She said the Little Rock School District denied the ICE agent's request for information because the district doesn't provide student information to anyone other than the student’s parent or guardian or Department of Human Services officials with proper identification, per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
“LRSD began working with federal and local authorities to determine whether or not the person was an ICE agent, or an imposter, and to determine the reason for the visit,” Smith said.
Rumors on social media began to circulate that an ICE agent was on campus attempting to get information on families from student data from the Little Rock School District and that raids might result.
“The District also conducted its own investigation and wanted to quickly dispel any misinformation or rumors,” Smith said. “Meantime, the District has communicated its commitment to ensuring the privacy of all students to parents, as well as a reminder to all staff regarding related protocols.”