Milford Exempted Village School District (MEVSD) remains committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. Our focus is on fostering an atmosphere where students can thrive each day.
Milford Schools enrolls and serves all students and families, regardless of immigration status, as required by federal law. The district does not request or maintain records related to a student’s immigration status. District staff follow Board Policies and Procedures regarding visitors to our schools, including law enforcement and other governmental officials. We strictly adhere to state and federal laws designed to protect student privacy, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of student information. Schools are also prohibited from sharing immigration status information about students without consent or a judicial order. Additionally, ICE would need a judicial warrant to conduct any business within our school buildings.
Our strong partnerships with the Milford Police Department and Miami Township Police Department play a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our students. In addition to our nine dedicated School Resource Officers (SROs) across the district, Superintendent John Spieser regularly communicates with both Police Chiefs to ensure our safety practices meet the highest standards.
Milford Schools will always comply with state and federal laws while ensuring our schools remain a safe place for students to learn. Law enforcement activities, including immigration enforcement, are only permitted on school property with proper legal authorization. Student records are protected by law and will not be disclosed without a court order or subpoena. Searches and seizures on school property require a lawfully issued warrant.
Additionally, our district has clear guidelines for interactions between law enforcement and students during school hours:
The questioning of students by law enforcement agencies is limited to situations where parental consent has been obtained or the school official has made an independent determination that reasonable grounds exist for conducting an interrogation during school hours.
Whenever possible, law enforcement officials should contact and/or question students out of school. When it is absolutely necessary for an officer to make a school contact with a student, the school authorities will bring the student to a private room and the contact is made out of the sight of others as much as possible.
The school principal must be notified before a student may be questioned in school or taken from a classroom.
The administration shall attempt to notify the parent(s) of the student to be interviewed by the law enforcement officials before questioning begins, unless extenuating circumstances dictate that this not be done.
To avoid possible criticism, a school official requests to be present when an interrogation takes place within the school.
When law enforcement officials remove a student from school, the administration will make an attempt to notify the parent(s).
Law enforcement officials should always be notified by the school principal whenever a student is involved in any type of criminal activity. When the principal learns of this involvement, he/she should notify the juvenile officer or detective bureau of the law enforcement agency. The school should not attempt to handle matters that are properly in the realm of a law enforcement agency.
MEVSD follows the legal guidance of our district’s legal counsel, Ennis and Britton, and our long-established Board Policy JFG-R: Interrogations by Law Enforcement Officials. You can find the policy linked below.
Milford Schools remains committed to creating a safe, structured, and supportive learning environment for all students. We appreciate the ongoing support of our community and law enforcement partners as we work together to uphold these high standards.
https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/milford/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CWB4FG05E3B8