California State University, Los Angeles, is giving professors the option of moving their classes online due to students’ fears about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Heather Lattimer, university provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in a letter to faculty this week, according to the Los Angeles Times, that she had heard students are “scared to take public transit and fearful of driving to campus.”
Lattimer said faculty have “the option of working remotely for a limited time due to extraordinary circumstances they are facing.”
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The move comes as LA has become a hotbed of protest over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement in the city.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Tuesday said the city would join the class-action lawsuit to stop what she called “the unconstitutional reckless raids in the LA region.”
The class-action lawsuit “Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem,” led by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California and Public Counsel, a nonprofit, was filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and demands an immediate stop to the immigration raids in the Los Angeles area.
Lattimer referenced the Monday raid near MacArthur Park, an area known to attract crime.
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“Recent events in the LA area — including the presence of heavily armed immigration agents in MacArthur Park earlier this week — have left many in our community concerned for their safety,” Lattimer said.
“This week also marks the 6-month anniversary of the wildfires that disrupted the lives of many in our community,” she added. “As a campus we recognize the significant harm that has resulted from these events and reaffirm our commitment to supporting our students, faculty, and staff and prioritizing your safety and well-being.”
She said the university wants to approach the concerns in a thoughtful way.
“While we do not want to go back to the online course schedule we experienced in 2021 and 2022, there may be circumstances where faculty choose to offer students facing extraordinary circumstances the option of joining an on-campus class remotely via a zoom link or turning in assignments remotely,” Lattimer wrote.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, university spokesperson Erik Frost Hollins said faculty could make adjustments for particular students.
“Faculty are being supported in making case-by-case adjustments for students in extraordinary circumstances,” Hollins said. “Similarly, deans and department leads are supported in making case-by-case adjustments for faculty and staff. These are all individual adjustments we can make within current policy. Importantly, we do intend to have a full and engaging on-campus student experience in the fall.”
