A Bountiful sixth-grade teacher is calling on Davis School District leaders to publicly assure immigrant families that their children are safe at school.

John Arthur, a teacher at Meadowlark Elementary, 2021 Teacher of the Year and state representative for House District 41, made the appeal at a forum organized by Uproar Utah in Davis County on Thursday, Aug. 27. The Davis Journal first reported on the event, which brought educators together to discuss how to recognize and respond to trauma in students whose parents have been detained by federal immigration authorities.

"Our neighborhood schools are shining castles, and when kids go into them, we have to do whatever we have to do to keep them safe," Arthur said. "The nightmare that kids have had play out over the last couple of years is devastating."

Speakers at the forum cited a figure of roughly 9,400 Utah children who have experienced at least one parent booked into detention, drawn from a Brookings Institution interactive tool. The Brookings report, published May 18, estimates more than 145,000 U.S. citizen children nationally have been affected, with about 36% under age 6.

Licensed clinical social worker Emily Mullenax led a session on recognizing trauma signs in the classroom. She told teachers to watch for triggers including a person in uniform, alarm bells, and certain colors and flags. She offered grounding and breathing techniques to help regulate students.

"Trauma inherently removes our control, so sometimes we have black-and-white thinking … Most importantly, it impacts our ability to be vulnerable," Mullenax said. "That's probably the biggest casualty of trauma."

State Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, who taught at Olympus High School for 33 years, moderated. She called the situation "a new problem, brought about by our government" and said understanding it is now part of a teacher's job.

Teachers at the forum said they have received no training from school or district leaders on how to handle encounters with ICE agents on campus. They expressed concern about potential retaliation, including disciplinary action or loss of a teaching license, if they act to protect students. One educator raised the concept of civil disobedience as a way to challenge laws teachers feel are unconstitutional.

Arthur called for school board members, principals and district administrators to speak publicly and to collaborate with city officials on creating safety nets for vulnerable families. No statement from Davis School District leadership on ICE enforcement protocols or school safety assurances for immigrant families has been made public.

Mullenax also urged teachers to prioritize self-care, warning that educators working with traumatized children face elevated rates of vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress. No follow-up event or Davis School District board action on this topic has been announced.