In a national climate where the government leaders support masked ICE agents dragging down teachers in schools and out of cars on streets, one might imagine that the climate for civility and equality in schools would be equally as bleak. Turns out, that is in fact the opposite for the civility of Oswego High School students.
According to the 2025 OH Panorama student survey, which 81% of OH students completed, 71% of students responded that they “got along very well” or “got along extremely well” in “the past two weeks with students who are different” from them, which was up one percent point from fall of 2024. Way more people of different backgrounds, with different beliefs, are getting along.
Given the external challenges seen nationally, OH’s student-reported data reflects strong peer relationships and local positivity amid national strife. However, reinterpretations of Title VI by the current president and his administration may have a negative trickledown effect on this positivity, eventually reflected in the Panorama data.
“District and school leadership are continuing to build capacity in taking action as a result of the [Panorama] data,” OH Assistant Principal of Student Services Kate Lippoldt said.
“The reporting does allow us to disaggregate results based on multiple demographic categories, including grade, gender, economic status, disability status, and race/ethnicity. In terms of its efficacy, whether with marginalized groups or overall, that will be determined as we analyze and take action on the results,” she added.
This student survey, which has been administered for two years now, shows very minimal growth for students across the board in terms of controversies and disagreements. For SD308, it is key that they can see how different students from different groups respond, as it’s quite imperative that district administrators know where issues live within OH.
“Panorama data directly informed our goals around … Equity and Rightful Presence (student engagement / belonging),” Lippoldt said. “Our … Panorama survey is a student self-report – the more students who take the survey and respond honestly, the better our decisions will be, and the more effectively we can work to improve the student experience.”
Overall, 81% of the students responding to the survey isn’t a bad number, so the district can truly interpret what change needs to be made for the good of all students.
All of this adds to a climate where students who are already at risk of being marginalized feel even less safe expressing themselves – not just in policy, but in everyday school life.
Reinterpreted policies, marginalized voices
For school districts across the country, the ‘25-26 school year has come with many changes influenced by the federal government. The nation’s civil rights laws, like Title VI, are being reinterpreted by the new administration to accomplish goals that we believe pull support away from marginalized groups of students, hindering student voice in schools.
“New policies have definitely caused a little fear within the students of those marginalized groups that we speak to,” said ELA Interventionist and SD308 Coalition Sponsor Belinda Bair. “There is definitely fear generated there, and I think that matches pretty much just the level of our political climate at this point.”
The federal government has twisted the meaning of these national laws, using them to accomplish goals that better align with the views of the now second Trump administration. By working to tighten what counts as discrimination in schools, and moving away from enforcing disparate forms of discrimination, student voices – especially those of marginalized groups – have been diluted.
According to NPR Reporter Cory Turner, Title VI has been used by many administrations to safeguard the rights of Black Americans and other historically marginalized groups. In today’s case however, the Trump administration is using it to go after both K-12 schools and colleges for preferencing minority students in access to specific programs and admissions.
As the nation becomes increasingly polarized at the political level, the federal government becomes a runaway train when choices are made surrounding schools and how students are represented – or misrepresented, for that matter.
A lot like the federal government, things are constantly changing in schools at the local level too.
ICE: Presence and effects
It isn’t just about policy changes at the national – or even local – level either, it’s also about the actions taken by the federal government in our geographic region that keep those numbers so high.
“I feel like it causes students to feel unsafe, even if they are a US citizen or born here or not born here, they don’t feel that sense of comfort,” said SD308 Coalition Student President Roa’a Harb.
“I’ve noticed that also with, especially with, parents and families, they can’t feel safe for students, their kids, to speak up or be in a community or go to an event in school because of these things we see in Chicago in schools and elementary schools where they’re being raided and a bunch of students feel unsafe,” Harb added. “So when students feel unsafe it causes so much distress overall and [deters them from] being able to use their student voice as they should.”
Unfortunately, she isn’t wrong. ICE has made quite an appearance in Chicago, Aurora, and other nearby areas as the new administration paves the way for them to do so. These actions, while not directly in Oswego, still affect students that go to our schools and sparks fear within families that live in or near those towns who might attend SD308 buildings each day.
“I do feel like many students’ voices have dimmed… due to ICE being in the area. Many students can’t focus at school because they are living in constant fear their family members can be taken,” said Latin American Student Organization (LASO) President Mia Medina.
“But on the other hand, I feel like more people have been reposting on social media and letting others know to be more cautious when deciding to go out in public. Although the community has come together to protect one another it’s unfortunate this is the reason why,” she added.
When student leaders who oversee their peers in community events witness blanket fear due to actions taken by our national government, it makes perfect sense for those students to be against it. Medina is right in saying that this has brought the community together, as a tight-knit district is one that can thrive. However, she is also precise in that deportations shouldn’t be the thing that draws families closer to one another.
Fear shouldn’t be what unites us.
What’s next?
The National Education Association has sued to stop the administration from attempting to pull federal funding away from school districts that don’t end their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) based programs.
As for the ICE movements, the state of Illinois has passed bills such as the Illinois Way Forward Act, which prohibits state or local governments from signing contracts with the federal government to detain immigrants, in an effort to prevent or slow down the work of ICE.
On top of it all, the US government is just coming out of a shutdown, slowing down legislative processes that could potentially slow down or prevent these actions. If our government can’t get along to even stay open, that issue should stay there, not trickle down to our schools and communities.
Even though these issues are far more widespread than any one school district, their effects play out here, in our hallways and classrooms. As policies begin to shift across the nation, it is our obligation as a community to pay attention, to listen to the voices of those being silenced, and to ensure that fear does not become a defining feature of our environment.
The strength of a district is measured not by the absence of conflict, but by how it responds to the students who need support the most.
42Fifty is the student media Publication of Oswego High School, Oswego, IL. Stories attributed to 42Fifty are written by editorial staff, or in the case of staff editorial, reflect a quorum of the student staff's ideas and opinions. To learn more about the 42Fifty staff, please see the About or Our Staff page on the website.
