Leaked Email Shows Gloucester Schools Allegedly Teaching Students How to Dodge ICE

GLOUCESTER, MA — A leaked internal email from Gloucester Public Schools administrator Vanessa Lindberg has sparked outrage, allegedly instructing multilingual students on how to handle encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The email, reportedly sent to the district’s Multilingual Learner (ML) students, included the message:

"I will soon share, again, the Gloucester Schools Policies guiding any situation involving ICE, and as a reminder, we have more cards and general information sheets for anyone who needs them. In Solidarity."

Critics say the language — particularly “In Solidarity” and the promise of informational cards — amounts to the school coaching students on how to avoid or resist federal immigration authorities. Parents and law enforcement advocates expressed alarm that taxpayer-funded schools could be helping undocumented individuals evade the law.

Ashley Sullivan, a Chapter Representative for the New England Conservative Coalition, leader of Protect Our Coast MA, and a parent of two teens in Gloucester, said:

"This morning's email incident is EXTREMELY concerning to me as a parent of TWO teens currently

enrolled at Gloucester High School. Our school grounds are supposed to be neutral. They are funded by taxpayers/residents from ALL political walks of life. Our kids are there to learn how to read and write — not how to break the law and where their teachers stand on the political spectrum. On school grounds the student body, teachers, and administration should abide by and uphold federal and state law. We do not get to pick and choose which laws we want to follow; else society would descend into chaos. To me, this feels like the administration is coaching students (whether they're here legally or illegally) on how to get away with violating federal immigration laws/policy. We are told DAILY this isn't happening in our schools — yet here is the evidence that it absolutely IS!! It is my hope that by bringing this to light, we are able to prevent future/further issue in our public school system..."

Supporters of the district argue that the materials were intended to educate students on their rights and district policies, not to encourage illegal activity. But the leaked email has intensified scrutiny of the district’s role and raised questions about whether staff were acting with official approval or independently.

Gloucester Public Schools has not yet issued a statement addressing the leak or clarifying whether the email represented official policy. Legal experts note that while schools are generally considered “sensitive locations” where ICE limits enforcement, staff cannot legally instruct students to evade or resist federal officers.

The leaked email has thrust Gloucester into the national debate over immigration enforcement, public education, and taxpayer responsibility. Parents, local residents, and pro-enforcement advocates are demanding answers: How was this email approved? Who authored it? And most importantly, are schools using public resources to help students dodge federal law enforcement?