HARRISBURG, Pa. – In an effort to highlight serious concerns with school safety challenges at the School District of Philadelphia, Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak provided May 13 incoming district CEO Arlene Ackerman a formal report summarizing key safety data for the last full school year.
“The Pennsylvania Department of Education has been working closely with the school district over the past year to stem classroom violence,” the secretary said. “However, there were more than 6,200 serious violations of the conduct code committed by district students during the 2006-07 school year. I urge the new CEO to bring a renewed and more vigorous focus on improving the school climate immediately.
“The data provided by the school district makes it clear that the number and nature of student misconduct incidents raises real concerns about whether all schools provide the kind of environment necessary to ensure safety and promote student achievement,” he said.
The report underscores the need for the district to build on its efforts to ensure all Philadelphia schools provide a safe environment for teachers and educators. It provides an overview of the district’s safety and security issues, as well as recommendations for changes and improvements.
While Pennsylvania’s schools continue to become safer, according to annual statistics, Philadelphia’s schools still face significant issues, Zahorchak said.
“I am very concerned that the number of serious incidents in Philadelphia remains unacceptably high,” he said.
For 2006-07, the following findings require immediate attention:
- The district had 12,666 incidents of misconduct in the 2006-07 school year, of which 6,214 were serious offenses
- Of the 6,214 serious offenses reported in 2006-07, 2,047 student offenders received disciplinary transfers, including alternative education
- 1,008 weapons were detected in and around the district’s schools
- Student assaults on teachers totaled 1,797
To address these and other issues, the report offers several findings and recommendations, including:
- Improving coordination between the various district departments responsible for safety and discipline. Such coordination will provide more accurate and complete data to the district, the PDE and constituents
- Ensuring consistency in policies and procedures for the reporting of serious misconduct incidents
- Providing professional development and training at the building level on policies and procedures for safety, security and misconduct reporting
- Dedicating a “climate manager” in all district schools
- Evaluating data on police notification for weapons possession or discovery to determine strengths and address weaknesses
- Examining data on assaults on school employees and taking any needed actions to ensure those incidents are completely and accurately reported
“This report highlights the need for the district to show immediate and aggressive leadership in ensuring that our children are safe,” Zahorchak said. “I know Dr. Ackerman realizes the importance of a safe school environment, and we look forward to working with her to make the necessary improvements.”
In addition to the report, Zahorchak also provided Dr. Ackerman with a summary of the draft report authored by Jack Stollsteimer, the district’s Safe Schools advocate, and the department’s response to his draft report. Stollsteimer recently released his draft version of the report, which contained numerous false assertions, without the required review and approval by the department.
The department’s report is based on data provided by the school district to the Department of Education and from statistics maintained by the school district for the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007.
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Pa. DOE May 13, 2008 press release
