Students and educators urge Philly school leaders to marshal resources for immigrant students

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Emotions ran high as members of the public packed in to attend the School District of Philadelphia’s Board of Education meeting Thursday. Before the board voted on charter school applications —ultimately denying both proposals — and discussed additional items, dozens of students and community members submitted or delivered testimony urging the district to do more to support migrant students and families. Several also spoke in support of reinstating a former teacher who was suspended after the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia accused her of antisemitism.

Protections for immigrant students

Attendees, many coordinating with the immigrant rights group Juntos, held up posters denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as speakers delivered testimony.

“The district’s lack of communication and reassurance to immigrant students and families is unbelievable,” Central High School student Dajana Qoshlli said through tears.

After last month’s decision by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind a Biden-era rule that prohibited immigration enforcement actions at so-called “protected sites,” such as churches, hospitals and schools, advocates have slammed the district’s response as insufficient. The DHS change led Philly schools Superintendent Tony Watlington to reaffirm the district’s 2021 “sanctuary schools” policy, which aims to shield students from federal immigration authorities.

The district’s Sanctuary Schools Resolution outlines protections for immigrant students and protocols for dealing with ICE, but a large portion of district staff have reported they never received training on its rules.

On Wednesday, Watlington announced that he would officially require all district staff to complete a 30-minute “Safe and Welcoming Schools” training.

Earlier this month, the school released an English-language informational “Immigrant and Refugee Toolkit” and reaffirmed its commitment to its Sanctuary Schools policy that the district implemented in 2021.

Some speakers said they appreciated the board’s initial steps but argued that school staff and immigrant families need more information and resources. They also called for proactive communication with migrant students’ families, increased multilingual services, “know your rights” training programs and more detailed action plans regarding ICE. A petition circulating among Philly educators echoes those calls and seeks the expansion of the district’s newcomer program and the reinstatement of its Multilingual Assessment Center.

One attorney working with Juntos said that the group was “overwhelmed” with questions from teachers about what to do if ICE came to their school or seized a child’s family. Another said that without bilingual communication, families remain in the dark about whether their child is safe.

“We continue to hear from families that have never received a phone call or message from their child’s school in a language they understand,” Education Law Center attorney Kristina Moon said.

Several speakers, including a district teacher, cited reports that some schools have canceled “know your rights” training programs coordinated between school staff and outside organizations like Juntos.

Hannah Myers, a bilingual teacher in the district, said educators like her are being stretched to the limit as they work to support newcomer students.

“In addition to teaching, we become their counselor, their advocate, and their safe space,” Myers said. “These critical needs extend beyond what school staff can handle, and far beyond a list of links and phone numbers that we are supposed to share as support.”

Watlington delivered a presentation reviewing the district’s sanctuary protocol and existing resources. After he spoke, student board representative Kenzy Ahmed asked what would happen if ICE agents had documentation mandating their entry to a school. Only a judicial warrant would fit this description.

“At a 10,000-foot level, I’ll say that we’re committed to following the letter and spirit of the Constitution and the law,” Watlington replied.

Lynn Rauch, the district’s general counsel, added that “unless there is a valid warrant or subpoena that we would look at very closely, those records would not be released.”

Calls to reinstate Ridgeway

In addition to demands for immigrant students, multiple speakers called on the district to reinstate former district teacher Keziah Ridgeway, who taught social studies at Northeast High School before she was suspended after the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia accused her of antisemitism.

Ridgeway herself was present at the meeting, and spoke on her own behalf.

“The way you treated me as an exemplary Black and Muslim teacher shows just how unserious  you are about hiring and retaining Black educators,” Ridgeway said. “Our students deserve better, and after all I’ve given to the district, I do too.”

Ridgeway initially faced backlash last year after assigning students a project to explore art as a form of resistance, and presenting a student’s video on Palestinian art in the school’s Black History Month assembly. Pro-Israel advocates and organizations outside the school argued that the video was antisemitic and pushed the district to remove it. Following that, a legal complaint filed on behalf of the Jewish Federation alleged Ridgeway posted threats of violence on social media against the leaders of one of the organizations.

Several members of the public, including students and district staff, testified in support of Ridgeway at the meeting, and four more submitted supportive written testimonies. One individual named Beth Tissenbaum spoke against the former teacher, arguing that she should “never be permitted around children again.”

Action Items

The board also shot down two charter school applications after considering a presentation on the proposals’ strengths and weaknesses.

Over a dozen speakers delivered public testimony in support of establishing the proposed Early College High School and Pan American Pathways High School, which would have acted as an extension of the K-8 charter school Pan American Academy.

Some charter proponents had hoped that the new board, appointed by Mayor Cherelle Parker, would be more supportive of charters than its previous iterations had been. But the “no” votes continued a seven-year streak of denying applications since the city regained local control of the district in 2018.

The board voted 6-3 to reject Early College’s application, with members Crystal Cubbage, Whitney Jones and Wanda Novales voting in favor of the school.

The charter application described a model of exposing students to college coursework for their chosen career pathway, with an optional “year 13” in the school and the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree or industry certification prior to graduating. Many board members spoke positively about Early College’s application but expressed reservations around financial risk given its reliance on pledged private grants, as well as the lack of an identified principal in the application.

Pan American Pathways received eight “no” votes and one abstention from Novales, who served as Pan American Academy’s founding principal until 2018. Board members balked at the Academy’s relatively high suspension rates for Black students and students with disabilities. They also cited concerns around the school’s failure to sign charter renewals in 2018 and 2023, leaving it operating on an expired agreement, and its choice to apply for a new and independent high school charter despite ultimately aiming for one merged K-12 charter.

In addition to charter discussions, the board voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling on U.S. senators to vote against budget cuts to federal K-12 education funding. The resolution encompassed cuts to Medicaid that would impact health and educational services for students with disabilities, changes to school meal eligibility and funding cuts to Title I, II and III programs.

Board members also urged community members in the audience to contact their representatives and tell them to oppose the cuts.

“We cannot tolerate these cuts to the services and support for our children,” board member Joyce Wilkerson said. “This is critical. We can’t do it alone.”