(CNN) Chicago Public Schools say they will deny federal immigration agents access to district buildings and personnel unless served with a criminal warrant, the latest in a series of steps taken by US school officials to protect undocumented students.
School districts from Pennsylvania to California have stepped up efforts to allay fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities over Trump administration directives that would significantly expand the power of immigration officers and could set the stage for mass detentions and deportations.
After a December resolution affirming its commitment to a "safe and welcoming" teaching environment for all students, Chicago Public Schools this week sent a memo to principals who "expressed concern and anxiety" about immigration issues and guidance on handling interactions with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"To be very clear, CPS does not provide assistance to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law," Tuesday's memo said.
"Therefore, ICE should not be permitted access to CPS facilities or personnel except in the rare instance in which we are provided with a criminal warrant."
Some students welcomed the news.
"There was a lot of panic going around," Yuliana Rodriguez, who attends Hubbard High School in Chicago, told CNN affiliate WLS.
She added, "I feel like school should be a safe place, just like home. We go there to learn. I feel like it shouldn't be a scary place to go to."
The guidance to principals in the nation's third largest school district came Tuesday, as Department of Homeland Security officials laid out plans to expand state and local law enforcement's ability to act as immigration officers.
"Protecting the safety and privacy of our students is our top priority at Chicago Public Schools," the guidance to schools said. "Given the recent political climate and events which have occurred on a national stage, some of our students and families have expressed concerns about how our schools may interact with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
The DHS memos -- which follow the arrests of nearly 700 immigrants nationwide this month -- seek to explain how the agency intends to carry out some of Trump's executive orders. Those orders call for a vast increase in the resources provided to ICE and Customs and Border Protection, the construction of a wall along the southern border and an aggressive stance toward undocumented immigrants.
Chicago Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson's package to principals included multilingual information and palm cards on immigration law and rights for students and their families, as well as guidelines for school personnel.
"While many of our families have serious concerns and anxiety about recent federal actions and statements, we want to make sure that parents know school is a safe place for all students regardless of their race, ethnicity or country of origin," Jackson wrote to principals.
Jackson noted that attendance in some schools was lower than usual during the last week's "Day Without Immigrants" events. "We firmly believe that the safest and most beneficial place for students is a classroom alongside their fellow students," she wrote.
The guidance urges personnel to call the school system's law department if "ICE agents arrive at a school and present paperwork ... ICE agents should wait outside while the school is reviewing the matter with the Law Department."
The document said principals should not share student records with ICE, "with the rare exception where there is a court order or consent from the parent/guardian."
"If a child is left stranded at your school and you suspect it is because his or her parent is detained, please exhaust the child's emergency contact list," the document said. "Please have a staff member remain with the student until the parent, guardian, or emergency contact can arrive."
Parents are being encouraged to update emergency contact forms, including backup contacts in case they are detained.
"A student's home address is information contained in the student's record that cannot be disclosed without a court order or consent," according to the guidance.
School districts in the Chicago suburbs of Aurora and South Elgin also pledged to maintain a policy of not allowing ICE agents into schools without a criminal warrant, WLS reported.
Chicago officials have said an estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants -- between 15% and 20% of the city's population -- could be affected by the immigration crackdown in the city, the station reported.
Other school districts throughout the country have vowed to protect undocumented students and their families in response to Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration:
In 2014, about 725,000 students enrolled in grades K-12 in the US -- 1.3% of all students enrolled -- were unauthorized immigrants, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on government data. About 3.9 million were children of unauthorized immigrants.