10 students arrested in University City brawl

A neighborhood beef spilled into the hallways of University City High School yesterday morning and escalated into a brawl that ended with 10 students being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, Philadelphia police said.

Nine males and one female were hauled out of the school at 36th and Filbert streets.

It was not clear what the fight was about, but it was not the first time this fall that students have rumbled over what one teacher called neighborhood turf issues.

"It's been unraveling, it's been getting bad," said the long-time teacher, who asked not to be identified. .

The school's learning environment has been further hurt, the teacher said, because in recent weeks at least 50 students with behavior problems have been allowed to transfer to University City - some from alternative disciplinary schools.

James Golden, head of the school district's safety office, said no link has been established between the new students and the unrest.

"I've been told anecdotally that a number of students have been returned to the school from alternative education programs, but that is not unlike what goes on routinely," he said.

"It's a stretch to say that just because 'X' number of students have returned to the school from alternative placement that they are the cause of the problem."

Yesterday morning's fight, he said, grew from a conflict in the community Monday afternoon involving two groups of students.

City and school police restored order to the school of 1,044 students with the help of the district's 12-officer unit known as the Rapid Response Mobile Patrol.

One student was treated for cuts and scrapes suffered during the fight, Golden said.

"There have been several skirmishes of a smaller scale where we have had to have some kind of response, but this is the largest event that we have had at University City this year," he said.

Ironically, University City was one of two city schools that were removed from the state's persistently dangerous schools list this year after violent incidents dropped by 32 percent from the previous year.

Golden said the school's allotment of security personnel was not reduced as a result of coming off the list.

He declined to say how many officers are assigned to the school.

The school's leadership team, safety team and community stakeholders will meet to assess the school's needs to make improvements, he said. *