Violence wasn't school's fault, principal says

IT'S BEEN NEARLY two years since the racial attacks at South Philadelphia High School tainted the school's image, but new principal Otis Hackney said he and his staff have worked to distance themselves from the past.

Their progress was overshadowed Tuesday when police say a triple shooting that critically injured a toddler stemmed from a fight among schoolgirls at the school.

Hackney said he wants to set the record straight.

"We wanted to make sure that folks are very clear that the story was not accurate, that the fight did not stem from South Philadelphia High School," he said.

Though at least four girls from the school may have been involved in the incident, Hackney said it's been "a neighborhood issue that's been going on since July."

He said that the beef was between some of his students and those from nearby high schools and that it was "unfair" to link the violent incident to his school.

"If a fight happens in a South Philadelphia community, there's going to be a chance that a good percentage of people involved may be my students," he said. "In terms of this particular incident being attributed to us, I think it's totally unfair."

Before the shooting, the fight broke out off school grounds Tuesday an hour after school, he said. Among those injured in the gunplay were a 2-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and their 59-year-old grandmother. School officials have not pursued any disciplinary action.

"Because it wasn't a school-related incident, they can't be suspended . . . unless we can trace it back to the school," he said.

Hackney said he understands the scrutiny in light of the attacks of 30 Asian students in and around the school roughly two years ago, but said the school has moved on.

"What happened here, happened here," Hackney said. "We've been doing a lot better."