Teachers Supported Students as Residents Urged Cicero School District 99 to Act on ICE Concerns
Screen grab from District 99 school board meeting recording by Mario A. Tenorio/Cicero Independiente on October 8, 2025.
By Natalia Madrigal
Editor’s Note:
Name that includes an asterisk(*) is a pseudonym for a source due to fear of retaliation.
On November 14, following the start of Cicero Independiente’s reporting on local school board responses, Cicero School District 99 shared an updated Community Wellbeing Letter across their social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. The post provides 'know your rights' resources, examples of different warrant types and a QR code that directs users to the Illinois Immigration Information website.
The Cicero School District 99 (D99) board proceeded with its typical agenda of recognitions and reports on October 8, 2025. Yet unvoiced concerns over immigration enforcement in the community hung heavy in the air. Exchanges before and following the meeting indicated that D99 community members remained in search of additional clarification from the district regarding how they intend to assist those affected.
Following ongoing United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Cicero, the district issued a "Community Well-being Statement" in early September. The letter promised families that all students are welcome "regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, immigration status, and other protected classes." The statement provided little information about specific actions the district could take in the event of an immigration-based incident. There was also no mention of collaborations with immigrant rights organizations or services for families who may benefit from assistance in establishing guardianship or emergency plans.
When Cicero Independiente asked the school board of D99 via email about additional resources for families, Superintendent Aldo Caledrin stated that families were encouraged to contact schools and seek assistance from social workers and mental health specialists.
During the meeting, School Board President Tom Tomschin cited high attendance rates at Wednesday’s meeting as proof that the district’s support initiatives are having a positive impact on students.
“We are happy to report that our student attendance is actually higher this year than it was at this time last year,” Tomschin said. “That speaks volumes of the staff and the support they’re providing to our community and our students.”
However, that reassurance falls short for community members and instructors. While the district asserted that staff and administration are striving to support children and families, and that allegations of widespread anxiety and fear from teachers are “not entirely true,” community feedback suggests otherwise. Teachers and residents had expressed that many students and families continue to feel anxious and unsafe.
During the public comment session, Rodrigo Anzures, a community organizer and longtime Cicero resident, approached the microphone. He said he was incredibly disappointed in the district’s response to local immigration enforcement.
“I read the statement that you all put out today,” Anzures stated. “It did not mention any ‘know your rights’ materials that are being distributed. It did not mention any preparedness plans that you are helping families make for worst-case scenarios…and it fails to address the reality that people are living.”
He continued by recounting an incident on September 26 at around 2:30 p.m. in which he saw two individuals who seemed to be federal officials approaching the Town of Cicero Health Department, across the street from Cicero East School, in a black SUV.
“I walked up to the car, they rolled down their window, and I could see that they were trying to hide a bulletproof vest,” he recalled. “I asked if they were law enforcement, if they were immigration agents…they told me it didn’t matter and they weren’t going to answer my questions.”
Anzures said he spoke with two people outside of the school who were dressed in District 99 apparel. He said that he was unaware at the time that one of them was Superintendent Aldo Calderin, and only found out a few days later during the school board meeting on October 8.
In an interview with Cicero Independiente, Anzures stated that he kept talking to others in the area and then came back offering them information.
“They didn’t react much,” he said. “I went back to talk to more community members, and when I returned with the license plate information, I shared it with them again.”
According to Anzures, the superintendent's response was that the district was aware of the incident and that local police were on the scene. But since those involved were federal agents, there wasn't much the school could do.
In his public statement during the school board meeting, Anzures said that he “told [the superintendent] that the school could make a plan that it could alert the staff, that it could alert students, that it can keep the students inside the school.” He was then told “respectfully, to stay out of it.”
Cicero Independiente reached out to Calderin for comment regarding the incident Anzures mentioned. However, we did not receive a response.
At the meeting, the board listened calmly to Anzure’s concerns, without responding, before moving on to a closed session which lasted around 90 minutes.
The stress that the current immigration enforcement environment is putting on faculty and students alike was also brought to light by a district teacher who wished to stay nameless due to fear of retaliation. For this story, the teacher is named by the pseudonym Alex*.
“Students are telling us they don’t go to the park, they spend more time inside, they aren’t going out with their families, and their extracurricular events are being cancelled,” they said. “These are things that are very enriching to a child’s life, and they are losing out on them because they feel afraid.”
They continued to say that the anxiety students feel from living in constant uncertainty can be worsened by frequent testing, benchmarking, and the school’s pacing of the curriculum.
“Our hope is that the district is aware that the mental health effects of this trauma will need to be prioritized in our classrooms for the well-being of our children,” Alex* said.
In a request for comment from Cicero Independiente, the district informed us that they offer a well-rounded curriculum that develops learners intellectually, socially, and emotionally while also tending to the needs of family members and individual students as they emerge.
Alex* also highlighted the proactive role of staff, who are not part of district leadership, and their response to these challenges.
For example, in order to assist families, Alex* explained that as of October 10, staff at Cicero East have set up a student-run food pantry. According to Alex*, the students have already passed out close to 150 bags of food, meal kits, baby supplies, pet food/cat litter, etc.
“These initiatives were developed in response to the growing concerns about the impact of ICE tactics on our school community,” Alex* said, noting that the food pantry is designed “to support both [students] and the broader school community.”
Alex* added, “If these things were organized by leadership with their available tools and structure, we could respond faster in a crisis and better support the efforts happening in our school buildings.”
Anzures added to the teacher’s concerns, saying, “I saw a group of teachers handing out know your rights flyers to kids, and they told me, ‘we decided if the district’s not gonna do anything, we’re gonna do it ourselves.’”
These firsthand accounts illustrate a discrepancy between district assurances and people's actual experiences. Revealing how fear can infiltrate students' everyday lives, even in "Welcoming States" like Illinois, where local authorities are legally prohibited from assisting ICE.
While the district has released general statements, parents and educators are frequently left to handle the practical ramifications on their own. For many, it's not just about showing up to school; it's also about their families' safety at home and in their neighborhoods.
The district noted that safety practices are in place, communicated to staff, and practiced with the students. In the event of an emergency, administrators also communicate through a variety of channels. Beyond the current safety protocols, community members expressed a wish for more proactive, transparent guidance.
However, Alex* expressed their hope that district officials will use their resources to react more promptly and efficiently in the future.
They hope the board will consider distributing "know your rights" literature, organizing events to assist families in completing emergency and guardianship plans, and detailing emergency procedures for staff that are similar to procedures used for hazardous weather or other unanticipated disasters.
Alex* said it best: “We’re doing what we can with what we have.”
In that collaborative effort, a special type of solidarity has emerged. One based not on commands from above, but on a community’s commitment to safeguard its own.
For families seeking immigration-related legal resources, visit the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights at icirr.org or follow the Berwyn-Cicero Rapid Response Network on Instagram.
WATCH THE FULL MEETING STREAM BELOW:
Natalia Madrigal is a freelance writer and journalist based in Chicago whose work spans culture, entertainment, and community storytelling. As a graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she has written for university, local, and independent media publications, covering stories which encourage diverse voices and creative communities. Fueled by her love for film and music, she offers a narrative-driven approach to the stories she shares.
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