For 50 years, the Education Law Center has advanced the rights of Pennsylvania’s public school students. We are not backing down.

Will you help us meet this critical moment? A gift today will help defend the rights of students who are most marginalized, including students impacted by poverty, students of color, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+ youth, and students in the foster care and juvenile justice systems.  

Our public schools and students face grave threats today. ELC is fighting to uphold their rights. Since January, ELC has been rapidly responding to devastating and unlawful federal actions that have profound implications for education policies and equity, while also advocating at the state level and informing thousands of Pennsylvanians about their rights. Here are some examples:

Dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education

ELC Responded: Having a robust U.S. Department of Education signals that providing good public schools is a national priority. We are galvanizing opposition to the department’s destruction, including through this statement and call to action. 

We produced and shared materials like this analysis and this action alert with elected officials and advocates. They highlight the vital role that the U.S. Department of Education plays in ensuring the education of eight affected student populations, including 7.4 million students with disabilities and 26 million students impacted by poverty.

Executive order allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct enforcement actions at schools, playgrounds, and bus stops.

ELC Responded: Students are entitled under federal and state law to attend public school regardless of their immigration status. We sent this letter with the ACLU to 700 Pennsylvania public school district superintendents and charter school CEOs to provide important legal guidance and respond to common questions about how to respond to ICE in schools. 

We are widely sharing resources on the rights of immigrant students, encouraging school districts to adopt “welcoming schools” policies, providing trainings to hundreds of Pennsylvanians, in collaboration with our community partners, and we successfully advocated for state guidance.

False claims that DEI practices are discriminatory, illegal, or unconstitutional.

ELC Responded: Through webinars and communications with school leaders and the broader public, ELC is reminding schools and parents that the administration has no legal authority to override state laws and local school policies. 

White House directives do not change schools’ obligations to provide a safe, affirming environment and equitable opportunities for all our students. Federal law states that the U.S. government does not have the authority to dictate curricula or classroom materials in public K-12

schools.

Unlawful executive order targeting transgender and gender-expansive student-athletes.

ELC Responded: With our partners from the Women’s Law Center, we submitted an open letter to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association stating that the association’s revised policies and statements regarding transgender student athletes’ participation in middle and high school athletics violate both state and federal law. We presented testimony at a PIAA board meeting in support of the family of a trans student-athlete.

We have educated hundreds of Pennsylvania educators and families through our materials and a webinar about the administration’s infringement on the rights of trans students.

These challenges will continue. Please consider supporting us today to ensure that ELC can respond to these threats to public schools and students across Pennsylvania.

50 YEARS: Rooted in Justice, Advancing Equity

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