Educators, advocates wrestle with a question: How should Philly schools serve students in the Trump era?

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Philadelphia educators and community members are concerned with how to best support their students under shifting federal directives rolled out by President Donald Trump during the first 30 days of his second administration.

Need in Deed’s second annual Educational Equity Forum last week brought together 180 teachers, parents and advocates under the theme “Philly schools as humane spaces.” The Trump administration’s policy changes and their impact — particularly on immigrant and LGBTQ+ students — were central to the conference discussions.

Need in Deed, a nonprofit educational organization working to implement service learning and community resources in school curriculums, provides support to teachers and students from third to eighth grades.

“Given the challenges facing our city and schools, this year’s theme” felt especially urgent, Need in Deed Associate Director Janet Chance told the crowd at First United Methodist Church of Germantown. “How do we ensure our schools remain spaces of safety, dignity and inclusion, especially in times of uncertainty?”

Moderated by state Rep. Chris Rabb, the panel featured Lift Every Voice Philly Executive Director Shanée Garner, Juntos Executive Director Erika Guadalupe Núñez, City Councilmember Rue Landau and Education Law Center attorney Kristina Moon.

In light of the renewed attention on federal policy from the Trump administration, the panelists focused on immigrant and LGBTQ+ student protections, reminding the audience that local policies still play a significant role in ensuring students’ rights.

Before the discussion, participants viewed responses from students in grades 3-8 on what made them feel safe in school, what didn’t and what they wish was different. One West Philly student proposed a morning meeting where students “can share their feelings and feel safe with the teacher and their peers.” Another student simply wrote “I have worries about home.”

Núñez, who works through Juntos with immigrant communities in South Philly, said that comment resonated with her. She explained that many children worry about potential family detainment.

“Sometimes students are managed in a way that it’s the expectation that children should be able to leave those worries at home,” Núñez said. “I think about the base I work with … A lot of them are worried about their parents not being home when they get home from school.”

Protections for immigrant students

Philadelphia’s school district adopted its Welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution in 2021 to shield students from federal immigration authorities. In the wake of new federal guidance that directs ICE to perform sweeps in schools, educators are closely watching for any changes to immigration enforcement. Superintendent Tony Watlington confirmed that the resolution remains in effect.

However, Núñez argued that the resolution still hasn’t been fully implemented, citing a Juntos survey showing swaths of district staff reporting that they still had not received the training promised by the resolution. Nor, they say, has the district fully rolled out a rapid response protocol or community accountability measures.

One of the first questions submitted to the panel expressed uncertainty on how to serve immigrant students in the absence of clear district guidance. Moon responded by noting that the district’s website hosts resources for immigrant families — including translated materials — but called on school leaders to actively communicate those protocols.

“It doesn’t mean anything if me, at Education Law Center, says ‘This is what the district says they’ll do,’” Moon said. “Folks need to hear from their own principal, ‘This is what we are going to do if we are approached [by Immigration and Customs Enforcement]; this is how I will handle it. And I recognize your rights under the law.’”

Núñez urged teachers who share those concerns to join Juntos’ “Sanctuary Defenders” committee for educators, and she encouraged anyone who witnesses a potential violation of the Sanctuary School Resolution to submit a report through Juntos’ complaint tracker.

Protections for LGBTQ+ students

One audience question addressed whether the school district’s Policy 252 — which provides protections for transgender students, passed in 2016 — might be altered under potential shifts in federal guidance. The policy permits students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity and instructs staff not to disclose a student’s gender identity to family members without the student’s consent.

Councilmember Landau described a recent City Council hearing that examined these protections. While the school district reiterated its commitment to implementing Policy 252, Landau acknowledged that its enforcement may vary across schools.

Still, Landau expressed confidence that the policy remains firmly in place.

“I do not think this is going away any time soon. What we heard at the hearing was a strong commitment, and a louder commitment from the superintendent’s office than we’ve heard from other areas, of how strongly they will stand behind their policies,” she said.

Moon agreed but added that doubts and concerns are not unwarranted.

“I will say that I think all school districts are feeling some very real fear right now based on the fear-mongering and threats to funding from the administration. And so they need to hear from us,” Moon said. “They need to hear from parents and concerned community members and students throughout the district that we are not going to allow an inch of movement from Policy 252’s commitment to queer and trans kids.”

Clarifying next steps

Moon urged schools to carefully distinguish between actual legal requirements and potential directives that may be announced at the federal level. Executive orders, she noted, cannot override state-level nondiscrimination laws, and any federal investigation would typically include a period for compliance before funding is withdrawn.

“Our message to school districts is not to self-censor, [or] bow and comply in advance before you actually have a real, credible, legitimate legal requirement in front of you,” Moon said.

“Do not do this work for the president,” Moon said. “Continue to show up and protect our students.”

Rep. Rabb then asked Garner, whose work at West Philly-based Lift Every Voice places an emphasis on cultivating joy in students, “How do we tell the truth to our children and ensure that we continue to nourish and encourage their joy?”

“Our charges are different depending on what our position is and what our identity is. There’s just no way around that,” Garner said. “The anxiety is much different if you are far away from it enough to theorize about it, or if you’re of it and in it.”

Garner encouraged parents to answer their children’s questions honestly, but in a way that allows them to continue feeling safe — which could look different for every family. She also framed the moment as a chance to model compassion for those in different circumstances.

“There’s a reciprocal relationship between how we model the conduct that we want to see in the kids — the leaders, the people that we want to develop — and how we get nourishment from being around young people who have not been completely demoralized,” Garner said.

Calls to action

Throughout the night, panelists encouraged concerned teachers and parents to show up and testify at the School Board’s monthly action meeting on Feb. 27. Núñez shared that the district needs to be prompted.

“They don’t actually move on their own,” Núñez said, “and it’s all on us to do it.”

Landau suggested that proactive reminders to leadership can help maintain protections already on the books.

“I would also suggest that in this room we all come together and figure out ways in which we should now proactively keep reminding our leadership, including the school Superintendent and otherwise, what our expectations are,” Landau said. “Just send an email now that says, ‘Hey, thanks for doing x, y and z, our expectation is that you will keep these policies on the books and that you’ll keep enforcing it, thanks so much.’ [Don’t] wait till the crisis time … let’s just tell them now, early on.”