District settles with feds on South Philly HS
by Dale Mezzacappa on Dec 15 2010 Posted in Latest news
The School Reform Commission today approvedsettlement agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission agreeing to take steps to correct “severe and pervasive” racial harassment and bias against Asian students at South Philadelphia High School.
The Department of Justice agreement states that the District violated the equal protection rights of Asian students “by remaining deliberately indifferent to known instances of severe and pervasive student-on-student harassment of Asian students based on their race, color and/or national origin.”
On Dec., 3, 2009, more than 30 Asian students were attacked in a series of attacks inside and outside the school by mostly African American schoolmates. Thirteen were hospitalized. The incident led to state and federal investigations andnational and international publicity.
Asian leaders had complained about harassment in the school since 2007, but the District took little action. After the incident Superintendent Arlene Ackerman
