City students campaign against school violence

Jamar Phillips, a senior at Carver High School of Engineering and Science, was firm.

"We will not stand for violence in our schools," said Phillips, one of 100 Philadelphia School District students who gathered in Rittenhouse Square Tuesday to draw attention to a youth campaign against school violence.

Phillips - and citizens who later testified on youth violence before the city's Commission on Human Relations - agreed that work must be done to fix unsafe schools and streets.

The students say they can lead the change. The Campaign for Nonviolent Schools is organized by the Philadelphia Student Union, the Philadelphia School District's citywide student government group, and others.

Wearing "We are not a flash mob" T-shirts, its leaders took a pledge to reject violence and injustice.

In the coming months, the teens will train others, come up with a platform, and stage a nonviolence summit.

Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams have offered support.

The youths - who had been dismissed early because of a planned half-day - congregated from all sides of Rittenhouse Square.

They stood in five lines, proclaiming themselves "thinkers," "organizers," "leaders," "artists," and "innovators."

They raised their fists in triumph, not anger.

"We're not criminals," said Shania Morris, 13, an eighth grader at Huey School. "We want to show that youth can be disciplined. The flash-mob stereotype is not true."

Justin Carter, a West Philadelphia High senior, said flash mobs have "painted us all in a bad light."

"The youth of the city are leaders," said Phillips.

Nearby, Center City resident Sandy Josephs applauded. "What a proud moment," Josephs said.

At a Commission on Human Relations hearing on school violence later in the day, Kristina Diviny, principal of Martin Luther King High, said that progress has been made at the West Oak Lane school, once notorious for unsafe halls.

Though "it's still a work in progress," Diviny said, the school this year came off the state's Persistently Dangerous list. Violent incidents are down 46 percent so far, she said.

"This is not something that has happened by accident," Diviny testified to the commission, which met at a community center in West Oak Lane. She attributes the changes to consistent discipline, progressive policies, a reorganization of the school and a strong effort to engage all students.

Marla Travis, principal of Lamberton School in Overbrook Park, said peer mediation helps keep the school calm.

"Safety comes first. Even before instruction. It's important that we talk about safety, getting along with our peers. We talk about respect for the Lamberton community," Travis said.

Some schools still have grave problems, said Santee Ruffin, a retired city educator who served as principal of Germantown High.

Ruffin warned the commission that "in some communities within Philadelphia, the subculture has taken over the culture," meaning that good students have to apologize for wanting to succeed.

The problem goes beyond the classroom, he said. "Parents," Ruffin said, "have to take more responsibility."

The Rev. LeRoi Simmons, coordinator of the Germantown Clergy Initiative, suggested that turnover at many schools aggravates conditions.

The clergy group is very involved at Germantown High, which has had seven principals in five years.

"We're running into problems with inconsistent leadership," said Simmons, who added that district efforts often fail to reach students.

Prompted by the racially motivated beatings of Asian students at South Philadelphia High School, the commission is holding a yearlong series of hearings on school violence. At the conclusion of the hearings, a report will be compiled and recommendations for fixes issued.