The DeKalb County School Board approved a policy Monday, Sept. 14, requiring a judge-signed warrant before law enforcement or immigration agents can access students on campus.

District lawyers must review any warrant before school staff grant access. The policy, designated LDAJ, covers every school in the district, including Dunwoody High School and Chamblee Charter High School. It applies to all students regardless of immigration status, national origin or the status of their parents or caregivers, according to the policy text.

Under the new rules, any warrant, court order or other legal document presented by an outside agency must go to the district's Office of Legal Affairs for review. Individual school employees cannot interpret those documents on their own. The policy makes one exception: law enforcement may act without prior review if there is an immediate threat to health or safety.

The policy also distinguishes administrative detainers from judicial warrants. Detainers ask an agency to hold a person in custody for up to 48 hours so immigration authorities can take them into federal custody. They are not signed by a judge, and the policy says they will not be treated as warrants, Atlanta News First reported.

The district said it will make reasonable efforts to notify a student's parent or guardian before granting access or releasing student information, when not prohibited by law. The policy cites the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as the basis for keeping student records confidential.

Attorney Jessica Stern, who provides pro bono legal support for the Safe Space to Learn Coalition, sent a draft policy to DeKalb and other local districts in December 2025. She told Atlanta News First that federal agents should face the same access restrictions as any other unauthorized visitor to a school.

The policy took months to reach a vote. The board drafted an initial version in May but delayed discussion past a July meeting, drawing criticism from parents and advocates. At a board meeting in July, Stern spoke on behalf of a Tucker parent named Meredith, WABE reported.

On Aug. 7, ICE announced the arrest of 1,226 people across Georgia under "Operation Safe Community — Atlanta." According to ICE statements reported by WABE, 720 had prior criminal charges or convictions and 506 had no criminal records but were cited for immigration violations.

Three days later, Eulen Jang, policy advocacy manager at the Asian American Advocacy Fund, testified before the board. "This isn't a political issue; it's a student safety issue and an immigrant rights issue," Jang said at the Aug. 10 meeting.

The policy received more than 40 public comments supporting passage during its first reading, according to Decaturish. The policy directs the superintendent to develop implementing procedures and train staff on responding to law enforcement requests. No public deadline for that training has been announced.