LEWISTON, Maine — Lewiston’s school superintendent Jake Langlais, told school committee members this week that immigration enforcement activity has not occurred at district schools, bus stops, buses or school events “to any of our knowledge,” while acknowledging that fear tied to rumors and federal policy changes has been “very real and ongoing” for some students and families.
In a wide-ranging update, the superintendent said the district has been closely monitoring reports of increased immigration enforcement in Maine and Lewiston since early January, describing a surge of rumors and inquiries that he likened to “October 23 level of inquiry” and “post-mass shooting level” volume.
“We’re really just trying to make sure whatever we’re doing schools are for teaching and learning and not for immigration enforcement,” he said, adding that the district is trying to “stay in the middle of the road” on a contentious topic and avoid being pulled into “the sound bite.”
Attendance concerns and “hold harmless” approach
Committee members pressed the superintendent about attendance impacts, but he said it has been difficult to isolate the effects of immigration-related fear from other variables, including midterms, a teacher workshop day and severe winter weather.
He said staff have been trying to compare attendance across years by matching “what week it is of school,” noting that calendar differences can skew day-to-day comparisons. He also said the district’s data includes limited “reason given” information when families choose to share it, but he acknowledged that families may be reluctant to specify details.
Langlais, also addressed what he called a “hold harmless” approach for students who miss school amid heightened anxiety. He said the district wants to avoid punishing students academically for absences connected to fear and to be thoughtful about make-up work, missed tests and midterms.
In “typical times,” he said, unexcused absences can change how make-up work is handled, and he wants to ensure students are not penalized in ways that create additional stress. At the same time, he said the district cannot ignore truancy requirements.
“We can’t just ignore the statue and do this blanket … no harm for anyone,” he said.
As part of its documentation, he said the district can include a note in truancy logs when parents have made staff aware that fear of immigration enforcement is a factor, a note he described as meaningful for context, even if it does not itself change the legal requirements.
Activities, scholarships and support needs
Asked about impacts on extracurriculars and scholarships, the superintendent said the district has not seen a drop in participation in after-school activities or attendance at events at the high school level, though he noted the district does not formally “count at the door every time.”
He also said he had not been told of scholarship impacts beyond the possibility of a “perfect attendance scholarship,” adding that staff would look into any concerns raised.
Committee members asked what support the superintendent needed from them and how the district should respond if families face barriers to work, groceries or other basic needs. The superintendent urged “patience and trust,” saying he did not want to make “million dollar knee reactions” or roll out inconsistent practices across schools.
He pointed to the district’s student resource center as a key hub for connecting families with community support and said staff are working to coordinate needs and partners if challenges persist, while being mindful of budget season and the limits of what schools can provide outside existing programs.
Safety, monitoring and campus incidents
The superintendent described the district’s efforts to maintain schools as safe spaces, including decisions to decline requests to use school property for rallies, citing concerns about conflict and enforcement intervention.
He also recounted an incident outside a high school entrance in which a person stood near a gate with a whiteboard and appeared to make notes as students walked by. He said students reported feeling uneasy, and administrators and Lewiston police responded. The superintendent said he spoke with the person, and police helped ensure the individual was “no risk to our schools.”
Throughout the update, the superintendent returned to the theme that fear does not need to be “rationalized by others” to be real for those experiencing it, and he said the district is trying to “keep a pulse of things every day,” while holding firm to the mission of “teaching and learning.”
“We’re being intentional,” he said, “we’re not ignoring any particular side of … the conversation.”
