Ackerman, others vow action on youth violence
Flanked by nine public officials and prominent members of the community, Philadelphia School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman today pledged to tackle youth violence in the city's schools and beyond them.
"I sincerely believe that we can break the cycle of violence and aggression that, as far as I'm concerned, is reaching epidemic proportions," said Ackerman, who spoke at a School Reform Commission meeting.
As she has in recent weeks, Ackerman said youth violence is a public health issue.
Ackerman, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, District Attorney Seth Williams and others said they would join forces and take new steps, including commissioning a blue ribbon panel to examine the issue; establishing a chapter of a national youth violence prevention network; and requiring students sent to alternative schools to employ "restorative justice" practices before returning to district schools.
"We must not only change their behavior," Ackerman said. "We must change their hearts and minds, and give them hope."
District and city officials said they would also speed up efforts to fix the district's rampant truancy problem. Officials have estimated that every school day, 12,000 students are out of school without a valid excuse.
Ramsey reminded the audience, who gathered at district headquarters in Center City, that students cannot learn if they don't feel safe.
"Violence is unacceptable anywhere in our city," Ramsey said. "It's of particular concern when it impacts our young people."
Williams, a graduate of the city's Central High, is also the son of a public school teacher. Years ago, Williams said, his father was shot at while teaching at Sulzberger Junior High.
Violent criminals generally don't have diplomas, Williams pointed out.
"The number one crime prevention tool is a high school diploma," the district attorney said.
Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, chair of the public safety committee, said that Council supports any anti-violence effort.
"It's a shame when young kids tell me they get up in the morning, they grab their wallet, they grab their keys, they grab their guns," Miller said. "Our children are our future, and we must protect them at any cost."
