Ackerman takes aim at violence

Vowing to crack down on violence and weapons, Arlene Ackerman, superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, yesterday said an existing zero-tolerance policy on violence will be enforced like never before and will likely result in more expulsions this year.

A letter informing parents of the stepped-up enforcement was posted on the district's Web site last night - www.phila.K12.pa.us - and each student will get a similar letter to take home today.

"This is clarity for principals and parents about how the process will work," Ackerman said, noting that students who assault adults or other students, who commit or incite violence or who bring weapons to school will be suspended for 10 days with the intent to expel them to disciplinary schools.

An expulsion can last up to one year and is mandatory under state law for those who bring weapons to school.

In 2006-07, however, just 34 percent of students involved in 998 weapon-possession cases were sent to disciplinary schools, and none of them was formally expelled, said Jack Stollsteimer, the district's state-appointed Safe Schools Advocate.

Ackerman, during yesterday's School Reform Commission meeting, said that she decided to clarify the policy after observing how three incidents involving students attacking adults and police were handled differently this fall.

"In just following those three, I saw three different sets of consequences," Ackerman said. "When I talked to the principals, they all said, 'We're just making this up, because we don't really know. We thought this was OK.' "

During the meeting, the commission also received a report from the district's School Safety Advisory Committee, which contained seven recommendations.

They include creating a safety Cabinet within Ackerman's office and assigning one administrator at each school to be solely responsible for safety issues. Ackerman said all of the recommendations have been, or are in the process of being, implemented.

"We are never going to make any progress until we get the chaos out of the buildings," said commission member James Gallagher, who asked for an update on the implementation of the recommendations by December.

The district's security moves won immediate praise from Mayor Nutter, who made a surprise appearance at the meeting.

"I have said for a long time that it is virtually impossible for children to learn or for teachers to teach in an unsafe environment," Nutter said.

"I believe that adopting these recommendations are key to creating the kind of environment that we want to have, not only in our school buildings, but also out in the street."

Nutter also said more must be done to help African-American and Latino males stay on track and out of disciplinary schools and prisons, where they are overrepresented.

To report a violent or potentially violent incident, parents should call 215-400-6000 or 215- 400-7233.

Affirming their preliminary vote in April, the commission yesterday voted 5-0 to shut down two troubled charter schools.

The schools, Germantown Settlement Charter School and Renaissance Charter School, were cited for habitually failing academically, administratively and financially.

If the schools close, it would be the first time the district has revoked a charter-operating agreement since the first charters opened in 1997.

Both schools opened in 1999 and received five-year renewal agreements in 2003. Germantown enrolls roughly 450 students in grades five through eight. Renaissance, in Mount Airy, enrolls 212 from sixth through eighth grade. There are 63 charter schools enrolling some 32,000 students.

Each school has the right to appeal within 30 days to the state's Charter School Appeal Board. If the schools choose not to, the district can shut them down after 30 days. If they lose before that board, the schools can appeal to the courts.

Alana Walls, chief academic officer of Renaissance, a teacher and two students spoke on behalf of the school yesterday. They testified that the school was making progress and should be given more time to continue improving.

After the vote Walls said she plans to appeal. No one spoke on behalf of Germantown. Attempts to reach Emanuel V. Freeman, president and chief executive of Germantown's founding organization, were not successful. *