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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2025
VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 22 Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Alachua County School Board releases ICE memo, sparking community concern NEW DISTRICT GUIDELINES EXPANDED ICE AUTHORITY IN SCHOOLS
By Sara-James Ranta Alligator Staff Writer
Amid rising fears of federal immigration crackdowns in schools, Alachua County Public Schools issued a memo outlining strict protocols for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, granting it “broad authority” to interview and remove students in schools without a warrant. The news ignited alarm among teachers, parents and community members about student safety. Morgan Waters // Alligator Staff
Jake Mitchell the vocalist of Little Jake and the Soul Searchers on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Find this story in The Avenue on pg. 7.
Your favorite foods are more expensive than ever High demand, low supply trigger price hikes By Natalie Kaufman Alligator Staff Writer
even the sweet morsels in chocolate chip pancakes — were not spared.
The breakfast crowd at the Waffle House on West Newberry Road was in for a rude awakening in early February. All meals with fluffy scrambled eggs and puffy omelets cost them extra. Waffle House chains nationwide added a 50-cent surcharge to dishes with eggs beginning Feb. 3. Some diners were indifferent, others resentful. Supply chain issues have recently disrupted the global food system, a similar phenomenon to that seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional breakfast fare like eggs, orange juice, coffee — and
The curse of ‘eggflation’ Yolks are the new liquid gold, and finding affordable eggs just got harder. Avian Influenza, also known as the bird flu, has ravaged the United States eggs and poultry industry since 2022 and intensified in the past few months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The H5N1 virus, which causes the disease, spreads through contact with infected birds or their feces. While cases of bird flu in humans are rare and have been scattered across the U.S., the CDC said it’s actively tracking the disease. When he’s not teaching, Kevin
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT
Birding Story description finish with comma, Inside the county’s avid birding pg# community. Read more on pg. 5.
Folta helps manage Eggsotics, a family egg farm in Archer. The UF horticultural science professor said his flock has avoided bird flu thus far, but he’s not counting out the possibility of infection. If one of his birds gets sick, he’ll have to euthanize the rest, which Folta said would be devastating for Eggsotics. “It would cost thousands of dollars to replace our current flock,” he said. “Plus, we would lose tens of thousands in production from meat birds, eggs and Thanksgiving turkeys in 2025.” Since its detection in U.S. poultry stock three years ago, bird flu has forced farmers to slaughter millions of infected chickens and ducks.
SEE FOOD PRICES, PAGE 2
The Avenue: No phones
The club promoting human connection, pg. 6
ACPS ICE memo The memo, released Feb. 10, directs school administrators to take several steps if ICE seeks to interview or remove a student. Administrators must ask for identification and request to make copies of any existing warrants, subpoenas or court orders authorizing the action. However, no documents are required for ICE agents to interview or remove a student, according to the memo. The memo also requires administrators to retrieve the student, be present during the interview and get permission to notify the student's parents before or after the interview or removal. If the student is taken off campus, administrators must ensure ICE completes the district’s Release of Student to Outside Agency form. Yet these directives seem at odds with existing district policies, which waive parental or administrator consent to interview or remove students only in “investigations of criminal activity.”
Under current policies, administrators may be present during questioning unless law enforcement cites “compelling reasons” for their exclusion — a term left undefined. If an officer denies parental contact or staff presence during an interview, the policy requires the principal to remove the student from school property for the process. The memo also states ACPS doesn’t request or keep records of a student’s immigration status. ACPS prohibits the release of student records without written parental consent, a subpoena, warrant or court order, or a health or safety emergency. According to the memo, district employees must comply with directives from law enforcement officers, and a failure to do so may result in “legal consequences, including arrest for tampering with, interfering with, or obstructing a law enforcement investigation or law enforcement official.” District’s perspective School principals would handle law enforcement officers if they were to show up to a school, ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson said. “ICE agents have broad power to interview and detain students, and that’s with or without a warrant,” she said. “Employees should comply with any directives that they receive.” The memo was released to help principals understand what protocols are “in this period of heightened awareness,” Johnson said. The memo was never meant for the greater ACPS community, as school principals handling law enforcement
SEE ICE, PAGE 4
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Mangoes and BB guns
UF grad wins prestigious book award, pg. 5
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