EXCLUSIVE ON FOX: Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have implemented a policy granting excused absences to undocumented students if they or their families express concern over nearby federal immigration activities.

A document from the district, titled “Attendance Coding for Safety Concerns Related to Federal Representative Activity,” was obtained by education watchdog Defending Education. It outlines that undocumented students may be excused from school if parents inform the institution about their apprehensions regarding federal immigration authorities.

Within this policy, immigration enforcement events are referred to as “federal representative-related procedures,” a term officially endorsed by the school board back in February.

Students make their way to A.N. Pritzker Elementary School on January 12, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The policy states, “If a parent or guardian reports an absence due to fear of federal representative-related procedures, schools can mark the absence as excused under the category of ‘concern for student health and safety.’ The memo section should specify ‘concern for student health and safety.’

Details surrounding the absence are not required beyond the assertion that a student’s wellbeing is at risk. Furthermore, the policy clarifies that “CPS policy does not impose a time limit” on how long such fears can justify excused absences.

The reason for a student’s absence must be communicated via one of the district’s approved methods to be considered an “excused absence.”

Further, if a parent is “impacted by federal representative-related procedures,” he or she can designate a guardian to inform the school that the child needs an excused absence.

A guardian and child leave Hamline Elementary School after word that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were allegedly denied entry to the school, according to Chicago Public School officials on Jan. 24, 2025. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Another provision in the policy allows students an excused absence if they want to attend a “Civic Event,” defined as “an event sponsored by a non-profit organization or governmental entity that is open to the public” that “includes, but is not limited to, an artistic or cultural performance or educational gathering that supports the mission of the sponsoring non-profit organization.”

“Chicago Public Schools is effectively telling families that fear of federal law enforcement is a standing excuse to keep children out of class with no time limit and no paper trail,” said Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter at Defending Education. “CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool. Instead, public schools should be focused on getting kids to school and keeping accurate records, not quietly encouraging truancy and obstructing cooperation with federal authorities. This policy undermines both student learning and the rule of law.”

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conduct operations in the Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Mexican American community in Chicago on Nov. 8, 2025.  (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The school system received more than $1.5 billion in federal taxpayer funds in FY 2024, according to its own budget reporting.

CPS’ Office of Inspector General recently exposed $14.5 million in “excessive” travel expenses by the school system during FY 2023 and FY 2024, all while only 30.5% of students in grades 3–8 were proficient in reading, and just 18.3% of students were proficient in math in the spring of 2024. 

CPS representatives did not return a request for comment.

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