Phila sees surge in dangerous schools

A surging number of Philadelphia schools have been labeled "persistently dangerous" - so unsafe that parents have a right to send their children elsewhere.

The new list, released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education today, shows a 67 percent increase in schools deemed persistently dangerous, a designation under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The 20 schools in 2008-09 is up from 12 the previous school year - and represents a sixfold increase in dangerous middle schools from one to six. For the past several years, only Philadelphia schools have made the state's list.

Schools that qualify as persistently dangerous must have a certain number of serious incidents - such as assaults - that result in arrest for more than one year. The calculation is based on enrollment.

Helen Gym, who heads Parents United for Public Education, maintains that fewer adults - non-teaching assistants, counselors, security staff - in district classrooms has caused security to crumble.

"Safety is the number one concern for every single parent," Gym said. "We know there are significant incidents happening in our schools on a regular basis that are frightening for parents, families, and students themselves."

But district officials and the state-appointed safe-schools advocate say that Philadelphia's schools aren't necessarily more dangerous. Principals and staff are just doing a better job of reporting incidents, they say.

"Parents shouldn't be too shocked by these numbers, because they're just a better reflection of the truth," said Jack Stollsteimer, the independent safe-schools advocate.

Stollsteimer said that the district is to be applauded for its targeted efforts in 40 schools, which last year saw stepped-up security.

"They're moving to address this, they're moving in the right direction," said Stollsteimer, a frequent district critic.

Some schools have made multiple appearances on the list - Germantown and West Philadelphia High Schools have been persistently dangerous for six years running, for instance.

Others are new to the list, like Fitzsimons High. At Strawberry Mansion High, assaults were up from 20 in 2006-07 to 46 in 2007-08. Robbery was up from 2 to 8. At Frankford High, assaults were up from 56 to 80 and robbery spiked from 9 to 28.

Two schools did come off the list. University City High, which had been deemed persistently dangerous three years running, and Bartram High both lowered violence enough to disappear from the list. Both had gotten extra security last year.

"We applaud them for their efforts," said James Golden, head of the district's Office of School Climate and Safety.

Some say that the notion of "single-school culture" - a way of organizing a school, with clearly articulated expectations for all students and correction for poor behavior - has helped.

Of the 20 schools on the list, nine did see a drop in violence, just not enough to shed their label. West Philadelphia High saw drops in every category - assaults were down to 37 from 89 and fires were down to 20 from 31.

Golden said that was due in large measure to the district's beefed-up safety efforts in the 40 schools, which will continue this year.

He could not, however, explain why more middle schools landed on the list.

This year, some middle schools, including those on the list, will receive safety supports, he said, and his team will work to analyze the data and "shape particular interventions around specific problems."

Golden said that school personnel now know what to do if violence breaks out.

"We have said, 'If a crime is committed, if violence occurs, we want that directly reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, to school police,'" said Golden.

State officials have said that Philadelphia's more accurate reporting is the reason why it has all of Pennsylvania's persistently dangerous schools. The last non-Philadelphia school to make the list was a Chester-Upland school, in 2003-04.

Shelly Yanoff, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, said that better reporting or not, "dangerous schools are not good things."

But, Yanoff said, she is encouraged by the fact that schools are finally getting resources to address problems. Earlier this year, the district won a $42 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to reduce violence, decrease the dropout rate, and improve achievement in seven persistently dangerous high schools.

"Some of those schools are still doing a good job for some kids," Yanoff said. "Persistently dangerous is a hard label for a school to shed, and it's a diagnosis that has to lead to a treatment."

Although parents at the persistently dangerous schools are required by law to have the option of transferring their children to schools not on the list, Gym, of the parents' group, said that's often not the reality.

"Parents' options are very limited," Gym said. "It's difficult to transfer out to a safe place."