A school promises college but leaves some behind | Morning Newsletter

Hello, devoted readers of The Inquirer Morning Newsletter.

First: The Milton Hershey School’s generous support for low-income students can come with high stakes, students say.

Then: Philly’s Asian community is even more on edge after recent assaults.

And: On Friday, Philadelphia’s indoor mask restrictions end.

— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The Milton Hershey School is unlike almost any other in the country: It’s funded by the profits from the sale of Hershey chocolate and candies. It educates about 2,100 low-income students, pre-K through high school. It spends lavishly on its students. And it’s free. But the institution has struggled for decades to reconcile its runaway financial growth with its mission to “break the cycle of poverty” and has faced criticisms that it is not spending enough of its wealth on helping more children in need.

The school’s generous promise to pay for college also comes with high stakes. Before students can tap into the money, they have to take out $2,500 per year in federal student loans. If they graduate, the school will pay off those loans. But if they don’t, they must pay the money back themselves, which leaves some students saddled with debt.

To seek to understand the school’s endeavors, we analyzed Hershey financial records; reviewed court documents; talked to state officials, education experts, and child-care providers; and interviewed more than 50 former students. What happens after graduation? Decidedly mixed results.

Hear from the students in our report on how the school has had an impact on their lives beyond the classroom.

Philadelphia’s Asian community has been living with heightened uncertainty over the last few weeks after two recent attacks — one that left a Chinese American takeout restaurant owner dead after a punch in the head that knocked him unconscious, and the other in which a high school student was randomly beaten while walking with his grandmother.

Community advocates say they believe the victims were targeted because they are of Asian descent. While no racist words were said during the assaults, the attacks come at a time of rising violence against Asians.

Mingchu Pearl Huynh, president of the Northeast Philadelphia Chinese Association and a friend of the boy’s grandmother, said she’s afraid to walk in the city. “It can happen to any one of us,” she said. “... We are all scared.”

Read on for reporter Julie Shaw’s story to hear from members of the community on the spike in violence.

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