The ‘disturbed’ efforts to thwart ‘a sorely needed school’ | Morning Newsletter

Despite some rain in the forecast, today should feel like a dream with temperatures expected in the 70s.

Today we are looking at how racism might have played a role in efforts to keep an alternative school out of a suburban South Jersey township. 🔒

And, this story of war as told by a pair of Ukrainian women who safely escaped and are among the first to find refuge here in Philly.

If you see this 🔒 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

By all accounts, Kevin Dixon believed he was doing the right thing. 👆🏽

Dixon, a South Jersey real estate developer, decided to convert one of his properties in Galloway Township into an alternative school for troubled students but has since been met with resistance from neighbors. Now, a racial discrimination lawsuit against the township has landed in federal court.

🎒 The backstory: Dixon, a longtime resident and former township engineer, found himself at odds with Galloway officials after deciding in September 2020 to lease a building to Camelot Educational Resources, a Texas-based firm that planned to enroll about 90 students mostly Black and Latino from Atlantic City and Pleasantville under a $2.3 million contract with the Atlantic City school district to create Sea Shore Learning Academy.

🎒 Work has already begun: After obtaining construction permits, Dixon pumped $1.7 million into renovating the 17,160-square-foot building, creating 10 classrooms, an all-purpose room, a nurse’s office, and an administrative office, ahead of the school’s original opening in January, under a six-year, $350,000 annual lease.

🎒 He said it: “I was very proud to bring this school to the community,” Dixon said. “I knew this was the right organization, the right thing to do.”

🎒 The problem: Residents in the predominantly white town rejected the notion, referring to students as “dangerous,” and one resident during a Nov. 9 council meeting considered it “trash coming into my town.” According to court documents, then-Mayor James Gorman referred to the prospective students as “the worst of the worst.”

🎒 How did this end up in federal court? U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler ruled in January that township officials’ actions were discriminatory, saying that it was widely documented many of the students would come from Atlantic City, where the population comprises mostly people of color. Ever since, a preliminary injunction he issued has blocked officials from trying to further thwart the school.

Our reporter Melanie Burney has more, including a look at what happens next to students in a town, divided. 🔒

To better understand the magnitude of the escalating war in Ukraine is to look into the eyes of two shaken and exhausted Ukrainian women who arrived in Philly late Tuesday night and woke Wednesday morning, safe but cast into a world full of unknowns.

Veronika Mativiienko, 52, and her work colleague Alla Pukhteska left their homes in Kyiv as bombs shelled Ukraine’s capital city. From there, the duo made their way west to Lviv before crossing into Poland, where they slept for several nights in a McDonald’s, having little money to pay for rooms elsewhere.

Now they’re here in Philly, inside the rectory at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Northern Liberties. And while they hope to return home to family and friends, they know it might be a long time before that day comes.

“It was a real war,” said Pukhteska. “It’s a constant understanding that you’re not protected, that you cannot sleep, that you all the time have to run.”

Our reporter Jeff Gammage met with both to tell a story of survival and strength in the face of severe uncertainty.

Former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins announced yesterday he’s retiring from the NFL. Jenkins, the two-time Super Bowl champion, has also been a massive advocate for social justice reform. Today’s question: How many of Jenkins’ 13 seasons in the league were spent in Philly? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. 5

b. 6

c. 7

d. 8

🥖 Sharing: Some early results from a few well-known Philadelphians on who they think makes the best hoagie in the city. Wanna weigh in? You still have time to vote for your favorite.

🧹 Remembering: That street sweeping throughout the city will resume next week amid a massive effort to increase the number of neighborhoods starting in May.

🗑️ Reading: Just how surprisingly out of control Philly’s illegal dumping problem has become.

Oldest pint in Philly. 🍺

LUGE MILES CHLO SEALDIN’

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Judy Pidgeon of West Deptford, who correctly guessed PHILLY GOAT PROJECT as Wednesday’s answer.

As always, thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer. 🙏🏾