Community speakers urge protections for immigrant students and call for review of ESE practices

Several community members used the Jan. 27 Polk County School Board public‑comment period to raise concerns about student safety and district oversight.

Cassandra Blanco, a Polk County native, told the board that a Jan. 15 posting from the Florida Department of Financial Services showed $1,006,985 provided to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to assist with immigration enforcement. Blanco said Latino students make up nearly 42% of the district’s student body and asked how the board will maintain trust, citing federal precedent that public schools cannot exclude children based on immigration status (Plyler v. Doe, 1982) and Chapter 101, Florida Statutes.

Denise Morgan raised a practical communications concern: she said she stopped receiving district automated phone calls (early release and return‑to‑school messages) and asked staff to restore phone notifications for families who rely on them.

Monica Williams spoke about systemic ESE problems she said she and other parents have experienced: Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) allegedly not implemented, services delayed or omitted, accommodations inconsistently applied, behavior plans ignored, and parents discouraged from seeking meetings or evaluations. Williams named ESE staff she identified in her comments and asked the board to initiate a documented review into ESE compliance, IEP monitoring and potential conflicts of interest; she said a letter requesting a state investigation has already been drafted.

Superintendent Hyde responded directly to the ESE complaint by saying the speaker’s assertion about a spouse working in the same department was incorrect, that the spouse does not work within the same department, and that there are internal processes and a separate department under a district leader to investigate complaints. Hyde said state complaint processes are available and the district will address any filed complaints in due course.

The board did not take immediate action during the meeting but staff were asked to accept the formal complaints and indicated processes exist for state complaints and internal review.