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Dear School District of Philadelphia Community,

In light of recent events, I am sharing this message today to reaffirm the School District of Philadelphia’s commitment to creating safe, welcoming spaces for our students and families, in alignment with the U.S. Constitution, Pennsylvania State law, and in the spirit of the Board of Education’s Welcoming Sanctuary Schools Resolution. This includes all students, no matter their race, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, familial status, religion, or person’s abilities. The District will comply with required laws, and school leaders have been provided guidance about how to protect our immigrant students’ rights.

What students and families should know:

• Please make sure that all emergency contact information is updated for your student. To update your contact information, contact your child’s school.
• District employees, volunteers, and contractors are prohibited from asking about or sharing any personal information about your students or your families, including immigration status, unless required by law and authorized by the District’s Office of General Counsel.
• We provided guidance to school leaders on how to handle any potential requests from immigration officials.

More resources will be coming soon, and will be available on our Immigrant Resources website. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us using our two-way communication platform, Let’s Talk. We will continue working to provide meaningful information and robust training to school and District staff to foster safe, welcoming environments where all our students can learn and thrive.

In partnership,

Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
The School District of Philadelphia