Schools must get parental consent before sharing student data with ICE
H.R. 8369 — No ICE in Schools Act · Filed by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) · Introduced Apr 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill prohibits federal education funding to any school or school district that releases student records or personal information to immigration enforcement agencies (like ICE) without explicit written parental consent. Schools must specify what information is being shared, why, and with whom, and must provide copies to parents and students upon request.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a funding condition tied to a privacy mandate—schools must obtain written parental consent before releasing student records to immigration enforcement. This is a straightforward civil-liberties measure protecting minors' educational privacy and family integrity.
What the text implies
- Schools may face operational pressure to choose between federal funding and cooperation with ICE, potentially creating tension with local law enforcement or federal immigration authorities seeking student data.
- The bill does not prohibit ICE from seeking student records through judicial process (subpoena, warrant); it only bars schools from voluntarily releasing records without parental consent, leaving legal compulsion unaddressed.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Students and families—particularly immigrant and mixed-status households—gain explicit legal protection against warrantless disclosure of their educational records to immigration authorities. Schools must obtain affirmative parental consent before sharing any student data with ICE, restoring privacy rights and reducing the risk of family separation or deportation triggered by school-based data sharing.