stltoday Members of a tiny north St. Louis County police department working under a contract with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement went to a middle school miles from their jurisdiction Friday and asked district administrators about three students at the school, the superintendent says.⁠ ⁠ Ritenour School District Superintendent Chris Kilbride sent a message to families Friday informing them that Hillsdale police officers, "working in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security," were at Ritenour Middle that day and interacted with administrators. They did not enter the school, the message said.⁠ ⁠ In an interview Saturday, Kilbride said a principal at Ritenour Middle School in Charlack called him about 1 p.m. Friday and told him, in her words, "ICE is at the school."⁠ ⁠ Federal agents were not there, but two Hillsdale police officers were in the school's parking lot when he arrived, Kilbride said. The Hillsdale officers informed him they were working under a 287(g) agreement, a program through Homeland Security and ICE that partners with local police departments on immigration enforcement.⁠ ⁠ Kilbride said the officers — he described them as "dressed in tactical gear" — approached school leaders and said they needed to check on three students.⁠ ⁠ About 100 sixth-graders were outside for recess at the time, Kilbride said. The kids saw the officers and were ushered inside by teachers "to reduce the level of fear that was created." A little over one-third of students in the Ritenour district are Hispanic.⁠ ⁠ “The whole community is really monitoring the actions of Homeland Security and immigration, but we’ve never had people come to a school,” Kilbride said.⁠ ⁠ The district implemented a plan last year in case of an immigration enforcement action. The plan does not allow administrators to allow agents into a school. Kilbride said the officers agreed to leave and meet with him instead at district headquarters in nearby Overland.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Read more at our link in bio⁠ 📷 Christian Gooden⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ #STL #MONews #MO #STLNews #StLouis ⁠ View all 254 comments