PHILADELPHIA — At Franklin Learning Center, Michelle Ferguson's students, all new arrivals to the U.S., are worried.

With President-elect Donald Trump promising stricter immigration laws and mass detention and deportation of immigrants, many students at the Philadelphia School District high school that draws English learners from around the city have shared their fears with Ferguson and other staff.

"Ultimately, I think students haven't heard from the schools or from the school district since the election," said Ferguson, who leads the newcomer academy for immigrant students at FLC. "Their anxiety is so heightened. They feel so alone. The silence on the topic from the district — the biggest and most powerful organization that many of our families have access to — is really disappointing."

The district in 2021 adopted a "sanctuary schools" stance, reaffirming its policy to protect immigrant students and families from inquiries by federal immigration authorities, as well as committing to provide more training for staff and emotional support for immigrant students.

But Ferguson and other advocates for immigrant students say that more is needed, especially when Mayor Cherelle L. Parker hasn't yet reasserted the city's sanctuary status.

The school system's English learner population is expanding quickly: They constitute nearly 23% of the district's 117,956 students, a key driver of the system's first enrollment gain in a decade.

Responding to questions from City Council, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. and school board president Reginald Streater said they were on board with protecting the district's immigrant students.

"What I can say is that the board of education, in partnership with our superintendent, is committed to making sure that every student is safe, feels safe, and we support them in every way we can," Streater said.

Watlington said the district is working with the Council of Great City Schools, a nonprofit that represents the nation's largest school systems, to keep tabs on federal-level events with the coming presidential transition. And, the superintendent said, "the administration will fully and completely comply" with the sanctuary schools resolution.

Supports vary by school

While school administrators have made pledges to city officials, those regularly working in schools say the sanctuary policy has been unevenly communicated.

Guadalupe Mendez, director of youth organizing at Juntos, the Latino immigrant-rights nonprofit, said that since the election, the organization has fielded many requests for help at Philadelphia schools.

Not every teacher and staff member knows that federal policy has directed that enforcement actions should not take place at protected areas such as schools. Not all are sure what to say if confronted by federal agents, they say.

"The support that each school receives is very different," Mendez said. Some principals and teachers are proactive — Ferguson has led "know your rights" trainings, for instance — and others remain in the dark.

District officials said every staffer is trained on the welcoming schools policy; one principal asked for a staff-wide review, which was administered during a Friday professional development session on a student half-day.

Christina Clark, a district spokesperson, said the materials provided in that session will be shared broadly with district offices and schools.

The 2021 resolution, which Juntos and other groups pushed for, guaranteed not just the trainings, but also continuing accountability via regular outreach with the community organizations, and proactive emergency planning.

Mendez said that the accountability and emergency planning have been unclear.

"If there's a raid that picks up 20 parents, that means 20 to 40 kids will be left at school," said Mendez. "The district needs to be prepared for that."

Another influx on the way?

Franklin Learning Center hosts one of the district's two newcomer academies, designed for high-school-age students who have moved to the U.S. in the last year, especially those who have limited English proficiency or those who have had interrupted educational experiences. Classes in the FLC and Frankford academies have access to sheltered classes, where English learner students are in separate classes with instruction tailored to those learning the language.

Ferguson, FLC's English learner point person, said the academy typically gets at least one new arrival a week. It has 60 spots for new immigrants every year; 40 already are full.

But, said Ferguson, who previously worked on education access issues for a city nonprofit that aids refugees and other immigrants, if history is any indication, the coming change in administration, plus Philadelphia's historic position as a sanctuary city, will mean more students should be expected.

"The district really needs to be prepared for a continued huge influx of folks" before Trump's inauguration, Ferguson said.

Juntos and other organizations are asking for more newcomer academies, including one for middle school students. District officials said they hope to add one more high school program elsewhere in the city, based on current immigration data.

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