Philadelphia students, educators, and community members blasted school district leaders Thursday about their response — or lack thereof — to President Trump’s immigration enforcement threats.
Superintendent Tony Watlington did offer some details Thursday about how the district has tried to prepare staff for how to handle immigration enforcement issues. But he did not engage directly with the criticism.
Local school leaders who have publicly criticized Trump administration efforts to remove restrictions on immigration enforcement related to schools have drawn the ire of the White House.
As a result, school superintendents and board members are now confronting a crucial decision: Do they speak up against policies with which they disagree and risk losing vital federal funding or becoming mired in expensive lawsuits? Or do they refrain from making public statements in the hopes of flying under the national radar, and still risk losing federal funding?
The latter has been Philly school leaders’ approach since Trump took office. But community members made clear on Thursday that this strategy has a cost.
“I am tired of my school district constantly making me and those around me feel unimportant,” said Luis Ojeda, an Academy at Palumbo student, who told district leaders that he was born in the U.S. and his parents are immigrants. “Kids are in class, worried for their parents and for themselves, and can’t focus. … We need to know what you will do to protect us.”
Dajana Qoshlli, a 14-year-old freshman at Central High School, tearfully told board members that they “had failed to do the bare minimum” and were not living up to their stated values. Fear and uncertainty about immigration arrests is “causing parents to not send their children to schools anymore” and is impacting student attendance rates, Qoshlli said.
It’s unclear from recent attendance data obtained by Chalkbeat the extent to which there is at least a correlation between recent changes in immigration enforcement and student absences district-wide. Board member Wanda Novales asked Watlington to report such attendance data to the board.
“By choosing to not take a side, you are still choosing a side,” Nina Chen, another Palumbo student, told board members.
Watlington did not offer a direct response to the student speakers but did give a cursory overview of the district’s school safety protocol.
School staff who encounter immigration enforcement agents are to immediately contact the district’s general counsel, “obtain documentation” if they have the necessary signed subpoena or warrant, and “await further direction.” Staff are then to convene a safety team meeting and complete an incident report, Watlington said.
“We are certainly committed to maintaining safe and welcoming schools,” Watlington said.
Watlington said the district has held training sessions for principals and assigned a mandatory online course for all school district employees. He added “schools that have a greater concentration of impacted students are getting additional touches,” but did not elaborate.
There have been no confirmed incidents of federal immigration enforcement at Philadelphia schools. However, rumors about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity have proliferated on social media, inciting fear in immigrant communities.
Pennsylvania Acting Education Secretary Carrie Rowe told lawmakers this week that she was aware of confirmed reports of ICE agents “not within the schools, but in their vicinity” in recent weeks.
In Chicago, charter school administrators said Thursday that an adult accompanying two students was detained by federal immigration enforcement officials during school dropoff.
The board also approved a resolution opposing the congressional GOP budget proposal, which district officials said would result in cuts of $82.2 million for the district if it’s enacted.
“The loss of these federal funds will have an enormous impact on all of our nation’s elementary and secondary school students, particularly those from low-income families, English language learners, and students with disabilities who attend high-poverty schools that have historically been underfunded,” the resolution states.
District releases toolkit for immigrants, refugees
After much public pressure, the school district released an immigrant and refugee toolkit earlier this month that lays out the state and federal laws protecting student data.
This toolkit also reiterates that “schools are prohibited from providing any outside agency, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD), with any information from a student’s school file unless required by a judicially issued subpoena or exigent circumstances exist.”
The toolkit also doubles down on the district’s support of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
A petition circulating among Philly educators calls on the district to hold “Know Your Rights” workshops for students and families to disseminate information, and to require “clear action plans” from school staff and administrators to “prepare for ICE interactions at school, and how to support students whose caregivers have been detained or deported.”
It also calls for more support for immigrant students, including a “more robust newcomer program,” additional bilingual counseling assistants, and the revival of the district’s Multilingual Assessment Center, which advocates say has been dismantled.
District teacher Kurt Ostrow said the district has required some schools to cancel some “Know Your Rights” training in recent weeks.
Ostrow said he was “troubled” to hear that: “I just can’t understand why in a democracy our public schools wouldn’t want students to know their rights.”
Here is the district’s response to frequently asked questions about its immigration response, according to the immigrant and refugee toolkit:
Can a school or staff person inquire or report a student’s immigration status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)? No.
Does the District participate in immigration enforcement? No. The District does not conduct, participate, or enforce immigration actions.
What should I do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents come to my school? Advise the agent that before proceeding with their request school personnel must first notify and receive direction from the Office of General Counsel. DO NOT Provide any information about students, families, or staff unless directed by the Office of General Counsel. The Principal or designee must immediately contact the Office of General Counsel at (215) 400-4120 (It may ring up to 8 or more times depending on the time of day. Do not hang up, it will reach an attorney).
What should I do if federal immigration agents request to enter the school to speak to a particular student? School staff would follow District policy on questioning of students by law enforcement or other lawful authorities. These guidelines include verification and documentation of the interviewer and parental notification efforts. The School administration should contact the Office of General Counsel at (215) 400-4120, to obtain necessary legal advice on how to proceed in compliance with state and federal law.
Are school Safety Officers required to enforce immigration laws or participate with ICE actions? School Safety Officers should not take action to assist or to impede immigration enforcement actions. If a School Safety Officer encounters an ICE agent on school grounds they should alert the school administrator.
This story has been updated to reflect the board’s vote to approve the resolution regarding the congressional GOP budget proposal.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
