Teachers, advocates ask Pittsburgh SD for clearer guidance and resources for English learners amid federal immigration actions

English language development teachers and parents at Monday’s hearing urged Pittsburgh Public Schools leaders to issue clear, proactive guidance and to provide staffing and programming resources for English learners amid national immigration policy changes.

Speakers said English learners now make up about 9.8% of the district population and described anxiety among families after recent federal executive actions. They asked the district to make explicit that schools do not ask about immigration status, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may not enter school facilities without a judicial warrant, and that administrators provide practical guidance and training to staff.

The issue affects student safety and instructional equity: speakers said many English learners are recent arrivals, some with limited or interrupted formal education, and that effective programming requires staffing, assessment and clear procedures. Speakers also cited the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Basic Education Circular on educating English learners as the standard for designing and staffing programs.

Jessica Porter, who identified herself as an English language development teacher at Alderdeis High School, said: “We must remind them that we do not ask for families immigration statuses and that we will not allow ICE agents to access PPS facilities without a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge.” Porter said district communication was needed immediately to reassure families after federal changes to refugee resettlement and expedited removal.

Melinda Mix thanked district leadership for sending explicit guidance to school administrators about how to respond if immigration officials attempt to access a building, but cautioned that that guidance should not be placed back on already overburdened ELD staff as the only route to train others. Kim Delhauser, an English language development teacher at Brashear High School, described newly arrived students and said, “We don't measure this subset of English learners. We don't count them,” arguing the district lacks consistent measures for students with limited or interrupted formal education.

Speakers urged the district to: issue districtwide communications reassuring families; provide training and staffing to administrators and classroom teachers; and follow the Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance on designing programs and ensuring equitable access to content for English learners.

Less‑critical details: speakers shared classroom examples and scholarship work with English learner students to illustrate needs and the importance of counting and tracking the district’s most vulnerable learners.