The Hamden Board of Education (the “Board”) encourages visits by citizens, taxpayers, and parents to all school buildings. In order to promote a safe and productive educational environment for all students and staff, the Board requires all visitors to receive prior approval from the school principal or designee before being permitted to visit any school building. The Board, through the administration, reserves the right to limit visits in accordance with administrative regulations. 

The Board further desires to work collaboratively with parents with an educational nexus with the Hamden Public Schools (the “District”), its educational programs, or the student being observed, to observe their students in their current classrooms or observe proposed educational placements in the Board’s schools. The Board, through the administration, reserves the right to limit observations of current and proposed educational placements in accordance with administrative regulations and the Board’s Guidelines for Independent Educational Evaluations.

Upon arrival, all visitors and observers must comply with any and all applicable building security procedures, including but not limited to utilizing security buzzers for access, complying with requests for photo identification, reporting directly to and signing in and out at the visitors’ reception area of the school office, prominently displaying visitors’ badges or other identification required for visitors to the school buildings, limiting access to those areas of the buildings and grounds for which the visitors/observers have authorized access, refraining from engaging with students and/or staff except as permitted by the school officials and consistent with the purpose of the visit in question, and complying with directives of school officials at all times. All visitors and observers permitted into school buildings or on school grounds must comply with all school health and safety protocols in place at the time, including but not limited to any health screening or personal protective equipment (“PPE”) protocols. 

In the event that a federal immigration authority appears in person at a school in the District or otherwise contacts a school to request information, in accordance with applicable law and pursuant to the Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education (“CSDE”) or any subsequent applicable CSDE guidance, such authority shall be directed to communicate with the administrator designated for such interactions, who will follow the protocols outlined in the school’s Security and Safety Plan. For purposes of this policy, a “federal immigration authority” means “any officer, employee or other person otherwise paid by or acting as an agent of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any successor agency thereto or any division thereof or any officer, employee or other person otherwise paid by or acting as an agent of the United States Department of Homeland Security or any successor agency thereto who is charged with enforcement of the civil provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

Legal References:

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222m

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-192h

Public Act No. 25-1, “An Act Concerning Interactions Between School Personnel and Immigration Authorities, the Purchase and Operation of Certain Drones, Grants to Certain Nonprofit Organizations, and Student Athlete Compensation Through Endorsement Contracts and Revenue Sharing Agreements”

Connecticut State Department of Education, Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities (January 28, 2025).

Connecticut State Department of Education, Guidelines Regarding Independent Educational Evaluations at Public Expense and In-School Observations (March 28, 2018).