Resources to Preserve Welcoming and Safe Schools
California’s public schools and early childhood learning spaces serve children of all races, religions, and economic backgrounds, so they can grow and thrive. As advocates, we have long worked to make these spaces safe, inclusive, and affirming where joyful learning can happen for every child. But under the Trump administration, this diverse education system is under serious threat.
A small group of right-wing billionaires, bullies, and bigots is trying to undermine our schools by promoting false ideas about what happens in them. Their aim: to keep us from working together to protect our students. This is our moment to fight back using tools we own—movement solidarity and community engagement—to make public institutions truly serve our children and families.
Below is a resource hub with tools by and for our partners to combat these threats as we keep working for public education that empowers all children to grow into full participants in this multiracial democracy. Catalyst California will continue to add to this hub to provide timely, relevant resources to preserve welcoming and safe schools across the state.
Please email us at edequity2@catalystcalifornia.org with additional resources, updates, suggestions, and feedback.
Protecting Immigrant Students
Resources
- Promoting a Safe and Secure Learning Environment for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s K-12 Schools in Responding to Immigration Issues | California Attorney General
This guide discusses procedures for local education agencies to respond to actions and requests for information by any law enforcement officer for purposes of enforcing immigration laws. Published 2024. - Immigration-Enforcement Actions at California Schools: Guide for Students and Families | California Attorney General
Quick guide for students and families to know their rights regarding immigration enforcement actions at schools. Published 2025. - Quick Reference for School Officials | California Attorney General
Quick guide for school officials to know their rights regarding immigration enforcement actions at schools. Published 2025. - Defending Immigrant Students and Families | California Federation of Teachers
Resource list for union members to protect students and families during immigration enforcement actions at schools. Updated 2025. - Resources for Immigrant Students | California Teachers Association
Details about California’s plans to support students, educators, and families in the coming years, as well as Know Your Rights resources for our communities. Updated 2025. - Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan | Immigration Legal Resource Center
Resource toolkit for immigration families to prepare in case of emergency including childcare options, immigration services, and constitutional rights. Published 2024. - Legal Guidance Providing All Children Equal Access to Education, Regardless of Immigration Status | California School Boards Association
Legal guidance to give governing boards clarity regarding their responsibilities under federal and state immigration law. Published 2024. - A Guide to Creating “Safe Space” Policies for Early Childhood Programs | The Center for Law and Social Policy
This guide gives practitioners, advocates, and policymakers information and resources to design and implement “safe space” policies that safeguard early childhood programs against immigration enforcement. Published 2019, updated 2025.
Los Angeles Resources
- Community Resource Guide for Immigrant Angelenos | Los Angeles Unified School District
Resource guide for immigrants in Los Angeles containing information on constitutional rights, DACA recipients, refugees, legal service providers, workplace & school safety, fraud, domestic violence, and important contact information. - We Are One / Estamos Unidos | Los Angeles Unified School District
Campaign to formalize and amplify LAUSD’s efforts to protect all students, including protocols on immigration enforcement as a sanctuary district. Updated 2025. - AB699 Safe Schools for Immigrant Students: Toolkit for LEA Leaders | Los Angeles County Office of Education
Toolkit to support LEA leaders as they prepare to protect the rights of immigrant students and their families within the public education system under AB 699 - Safe Schools for Immigrant Students and SB 54 - California Values Act. Published 2025. - Legal Protections for Immigrant Students: A Guide for Educators | Los Angeles County Office of Education
Webinar slide deck for educators to know their rights regarding legal protections for immigrant students. Published 2024.
Tools for School Boards to Advance Equity
- Equity Policies Toolkit for School Boards | Race Forward: HEAL Together
Comprehensive toolkit for school board members to support equity for all students through policy, budgeting, and implementation in their districts. Published 2023. - Education Justice Academy
Organization that trains aspiring school board leaders to run a campaign, build coalitions, and enact budgets and policies that advance educational justice. - The Costs of Conflict: The Fiscal Impact of Culturally Divisive Conflict on Public Schools in the United States | UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access
Report that captures the costs associated with school board conflicts regarding book bans, protecting LGBTQ+ youth, and teaching about race and racism. Published 2024. - Defending Our Schools and Students | California Teachers Association
Stories and lessons learned from school districts where communities came together to push back against bigoted school board members. Published 2023. - Model Resolution for Welcoming & Safe Schools for All | Catalyst California (formerly Advancement Project California) & Partners
Model Resolution guidance for school districts to promote welcoming and safe schools for all students. Published 2018.
Defending Student Civil Rights
- Trump Administration Play by Play | Partnership for the Future of Learning
Extensive resource that lays out potential timing, process, and impact of the Trump Administration’s organized attack on public education. Updated 2025. - Know Your Rights: My School My Rights | ACLU SoCal
Guide that helps California students understand their civil rights and liberties in school. - Justice and Safe Schools for LGBTQ+ Students & Communities | California Teachers Association
Tools and resources for teachers and advocates to support LGBTQ+ students in the classroom and their daily lives. - Social Justice Resources | California Teachers Association
CTA resources to support racial justice, immigration and LGBTQ+ students, teaching social justice and more. - Free to Learn, Free to Be | ACLU SoCal
Resources to help communities protect students’ rights with advocacy toolkits, complaint guides, and mapped attacks. Published 2024. - Resource Library: Attacks on Teaching About Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation | Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Comprehensive resource library responding to attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Published 2025
Resisting Censorship: Protecting the Freedom to Learn
- Unite Against Book Bans Action Toolkit | American Library Association
Toolkit with resources to help communities, advocates, school board members counter book bans in schools and libraries and support the freedom to read. - Educational Gag Orders in Your Community: A Tip Sheet for Changing the Conversation | PEN America
Checklist with actionable steps to combat educational gag orders to help individuals protect free expression, academic freedom, and students’ right to learn in and about their communities. - Freedom to Learn | National Education Association
Campaign advocating for students’ rights to an honest and accurate education with resources for community engagement and school board advocacy. - Teach Truth Media Guide | Zinn Education Project
Media guide with key statements, FAQs, media engagement strategies, and outreach recommendations to support effective communication around the importance of an accurate and honest education. Updated 2024. - Southern Education Equity Network School Resource Hub: We All Belong | Intercultural Development Research Association
Lesson plans, teaching tools, and policy updates to support educators and advocates promote a culturally relevant education and fight harmful censorship practices. - Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support that Matters for LGBTQ+ Students | PRISM California
Coming Spring 2025: Professional development program for California educators on LGBTQ+ cultural competency to foster inclusive classrooms in grades 7-12. - Free to Learn, Free to Be | ACLU SoCal
Resources to help communities protect students’ rights with advocacy toolkits, complaint guides, and mapped attacks. Published 2024.
Toolkits & Messaging to Organize Communities
- Uniting Our Communities for Strong Schools and a Multiracial Democracy | Race Forward: HEAL Together
Toolkit with resources to help public school advocates counter attacks on critical race theory, LGBTQ+ people, and culturally relevant education in school districts. Published 2023. - Public School Strong Self-Directed Orientation | HEAL Together
Orientation designed to give organizers the tools needed to become part of a movement to defend and strengthen our public schools, including resources to connect and organize in your local school district with the potential to impact at state and national levels. Updated 2025. - How Progressives Won the School Culture War – in New Hampshire! | The Nation
Story of successful organizing by parents and community members to fight back against anti-public education extremists in a GOP stronghold community. Published 2022. - Ending the School Culture Wars | The School Superintendents Association
Article highlighting how progressive coalitions of parents, students, and community members are successfully pushing back against extremist school board policies and defending inclusive public education in California and nationwide. Published 2024. - Public Education is Popular (and Our Opponents Know It) | Popular Comms
Report on messaging tactics that work to compel persuadable audiences on issues in public education such as school funding, book bans, critical race theory, and trans athletes. Published 2023. - Defending Our Schools and Students | California Teachers Association
Stories and lessons learned from school districts where communities came together to push back against bigoted school board members. Published 2023. - Model Resolution for Welcoming & Safe Schools for All | Catalyst California (formerly Advancement Project California) & Partners
Model Resolution guidance for school districts to promote welcoming and safe schools for all students. Published 2018. - By the Wealthy, for the Wealthy: Coordinated Attacks on Public Education in the United States | U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Informative report from the U.S. Senate HELP Committee about the coordinated attacks on public education and the path forward to create an education system that benefits everyone. Published June 2024. - The Fierce Urgency of Now: Messages that Advance Diversity and Equal Opportunity | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Messaging guidance and strategies to counter attacks on DEI and advance equal opportunity for all. Updated 2025.
