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Advocates tell Philadelphia council schools must fully implement sanctuary and newcomer supports
Summary
School District officials described policies to protect immigrant and LGBTQ+ students; community groups said district has not fully implemented the 2021 Welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution and requested funding for newcomer programs and more training.
Officials from the School District of Philadelphia told a City Council Committee the district has policies and training in place to support LGBTQ+ students and immigrant families, but community advocates said the district has not fully implemented the sanctuary schools resolution passed in 2021.
Dr. Jamie Banks, chief of student support services, and Dr. Natalie Nere, chief of special education and diverse learners, said the district has nondiscrimination policies and a Policy 252 governing transgender and gender‑nonconforming students that allows chosen names and pronouns in school records and use of facilities consistent with students’ gender identity. Banks told the committee the district supports 104 GSAs (gender‑sexuality alliances) across middle and high schools and that an LGBTQ+ coordinator would begin on Feb. 7.
Dr. Nere described district protocols if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents request access to a school: staff are instructed to immediately notify the Office of General Counsel, obtain documentation (a subpoena or judicial warrant) and refer any access request to legal counsel. The district is updating an immigrant/refugee toolkit and said a letter outlining policies would be distributed soon; staff training is being offered through asynchronous and synchronous modules.
Advocates from Juntos and other grassroots groups said the district has not fully implemented training, newcomer programs, or a districtwide ICE response protocol required by the sanctuary schools resolution. Juntos executive director Erica Guadalupe Nunez said a 2024 survey of 152 school staff showed only 56% had participated in ICE response training, 14% had training on interpretation services and 33% believed their schools could communicate adequately with newcomer families.
Nunez asked council to commit $2,000,000 to create two newcomer programs (30 seats each) in South and Northeast Philadelphia, and urged the district to restore supports such as the Multilingual Assessment Center, which the group said had been cut.
Transcript excerpts in testimony noted the district had conducted training for principals and counselors in 2023 and 2024 and that professional development on Policy 252 was ongoing. School officials and advocates agreed more work remains to ensure timely dissemination of protocols and consistent training across schools.
