Community demands Sanctuary Schools in Philadelphia, a ‘sanctuary city’
By Joe Piette posted on March 3, 2021
“Philadelphia has declared itself a ‘sanctuary city,’ but how can it be a sanctuary city without its schools being sanctuaries for all students?” asked Erika Guadalupe Nuñez of Juntos at a well-attended March 1 press conference outside the School District of Philadelphia headquarters.
Erika Guadalupe Nuñez speaking, March 1.
A major demand being directed at school officials is to set clear rules and better train staff and teachers on restrictions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involvement in city schools.
City Council members Helen Gym and Kendra Brooks spoke in support of the campaign, which began after ICE officers detained a pregnant mother over a year ago. She had just dropped off her child at Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary School in February 2020 in the Passyunk Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. The action caused ripples of fea
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Union-sponsored deal announced in Philadelphia to reopen elementary schools on Monday
the network of Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees.
With the collaboration of the teachers unions, Philadelphia schools will begin in-person classes for about 3,000 kindergarten through second grade students Monday, despite the spread of new and more infectious coronavirus strains that are making their way into the population.
The move comes as the result of a ruling by an “independent” mediator appointed by the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) as part of a Memorandum of Agreement signed last fall. The mediator, Chicago doctor Peter Orris, reviewed the condition of buildings, in particular the ventilation systems, and issued a ruling determining whether they are currently “safe” to reopen or whether rudimentary changes should be made.