March 2024 marks exactly three years since a pregnant immigrant mother was detained outside a public elementary school in South Philadelphia, an arrest that sparked widespread fear and concern for immigrant and newcomer students and families. Despite the unanimous approval for the Welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution in 2021, there have been continued instances of institutional harms that negatively impact our community, including an alarming threat of deportation towards a newcomer student by a District principal.
Juntos remains committed to supporting our community as they continue to navigate an educational system with disturbing trends of rights violations, including insufficient language access, shortcomings in newcomer screening, and inadequate support services. Unfortunately, despite securing a district-wide resolution that was meant to bring to fruition the vision of sanctuary in our local public schools, we are still waiting for the true systemic change that was promised.
From October 2023 to February 2024 we surveyed almost 150 Philadelphia educators, staff and administrators to gauge knowledge about existing newcomer supports within the District and current compliance with the Welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution that was won in 2021.
