Unruly students unwelcome

The School District of Philadelphia could file a federal lawsuit soon that would make it easier to remove disruptive students from classrooms.

The district wants legally binding consent decrees lifted that affect how the system can discipline problem students. These restrictions were negotiated between the school district and student-advice groups almost 30 years ago.

Letters have been sent to attorneys who represented the advocacy groups back in the 1970s, inviting them to discuss what the district refers to as "procedural burdens."

Schools CEO Paul Vallas and district officials met with some groups two weeks ago, but reached no agreement. If negotiations fail, school officials say they are prepared to file a suit with the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s Federal Court.

"There is a commitment to the citizens of Philadelphia by the School Reform Commission and the School District of Philadelphia to crack down on violence," said district spokesperson Vincent Thompson. "We know that kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe and teachers can’t teach if they don’t feel safe."

The district also is appealing to state legislators to support a bill in the House of Representatives that would allow it to create a new disciplinary system.

The district seeks to eliminate three consent decrees:

* A requirement that parents be notified by mail when their child commits certain disciplinary violations. This process takes weeks, the district says, and in the meantime the offending student remains in the classroom.

* A rule that limits schools from suspending a student for more than five days.

* A provision that grants some students two disciplinary hearings — the second conducted by arbitrators who have no expertise in school affairs. This can add between four to six weeks to the disciplinary process.

The lawsuit was announced just days after the state’s Office of the Safe Schools Advocate released a report detailing the serious and violent incidents in 2002-03 at each of the district’s elementary, middle and high schools. The account also outlined the district’s actions after each violation.

Safe Schools Advocate Harvey Rice complimented Vallas’ work, saying the district had taken steps in the right direction, but criticized the failure to remove violent and serious rules offenders from schools as defined by state law.

"If we are to adequately address this problem and make our classrooms safe havens for learning," Rice said, "we must remove violent and disruptive students so that teachers can teach and students can learn."

According to the OSSA report, 19,735 incidents were reported in 2002-03 — a 33-percent increase compared to the previous school year. Of those, 14,403 violated the district’s code of conduct or state laws.

More than 8,600 incidents were classified as serious or violent offenses, and more than 4,611 were classified as more violent "Level II" offenses.

The report also stated that only 373 of the 1,448 offenders who committed violations that dictated "mandatory expulsions" were transferred to a disciplinary school.

Vallas has called Rice’s statistics inaccurate and outdated. The superintendent countered that, to date, violent incidents have dropped 2.6 percent compared to last year.

District spokesperson Thompson added that assaults have dropped 5.2 percent and morals offenses are down 40 percent this year.

At the schools in the South Region, violent incidents between September and November decreased more than 10 percent compared to last year, from 212 to 190.

District officials also noted fewer weapons — 270 so far this year, compared to 341 during the same time last year — have been confiscated. And the system touts the effectiveness of programs like the Saturday Morning Alternative Reach and Teach Program and the creation of Parent Truancy Officers and the Parent Support Hotline.

South Philly High-School Stats