Investigative Report Uncovers Trend of Undocumented Violence in Philly Schools

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer published the first articles in a series revealing the unreported violent incidents in Philadelphia schools in the 2009-2010 school year. "Assault on Learning" is the effort of staff writers Susan Snyder, John Sullivan, Kristin A. Graham, and Dylan Purcell.

The series discusses various cases, over 4,000, which typically go unreported by teachers and school district officials. The cases include acts of bullying, sexual assualt, robbery, threats, and fights. What has yet to be determined is why schools will decline to contact police or the school district about violence. The article suggests that the climbing rate of violence in the city is ignored so as to paint a better picture of the school system.

The school district had a position for a "watchdog" of violence in public schools, until the job was terminated in 2009. Jack Stollsteimer is the former Safe Schools Advocate. Eliminating the position has left a gap between school principals and the district officials they are required to answer to, and so the true statistics aren't released. Likewise, the district does not always report accurately to police in annual data analyses.

Sometimes, teachers or school disciplinarians will defer a student's case instead of handling it directly. Sometimes the school waits until way after the fact to report it. Many schools have claimed that it is the student's responsibility to report an attack to the district. When the Inquirer tried to contact the principals of the affected schools, only Principal Hiromi Hernandez of Robeson High School gave a comment.

"We do an honest job," Hernandez said. "We're not trying to hide anything. That's the truth."


According to the article, teacher assaults are reported only 50 percent of the time, totaling 690 in all.


The article specifically examines the case of a Cleveland Elementary School student Tamika McNeil, who was routinely teased by classmates, as was her 8-yr. old sister, and was groped by some boys in the cafeteria while other children called her names. When Tamika's mother went to the school and contacted the police, she found that no one in the school had done a thing about it. The attackers were never dismissed from school.


This is the poem she wrote the day of the incident, when she ran out of school and waited for her mother at home:

"In the schools, they're always bothering me.
But if they just take the time to see how much of a good friend I can be.
I'm smart and I'm really fun, and I like to play
and you can speak to me all day.
But no one wants to talk to me.
No one wants to say hi unless they're saying bye girl, please or goodbye.
I just hope one day I'll have a friend I can trust,
but I hope it's soon because I think I might combust."


http://www.philly.com/philly/news/special_packages/inquirer/school-violence/20110327_Inquirer_investigation_shows_widespread_underreporting_of_violence.html