Anderson@Large

Justice for Laporshia Massey

Three weeks ago, 12-year-old Laporshia Massey suffered an asthma attack while at school. That should be the end of the story. Sadly, it isn’t. There was no school nurse on duty that day. Laporshia was sent home. Within hours, the sixth grader from West Philly was dead.

While the family and the School District of Philadelphia dispute the circumstances leading up to her death, the fact is we’ll never know whether a school nurse would have recognized the severity of her condition.

It’s also a fact that more than 30 percent of children between the ages of 5 to 12 in West Philly have been diagnosed with asthma. So it’s reasonable to expect another child will suffer an asthma attack or otherwise get sick while at school. If there’s no nurse on duty, will school officials rely on a child’s own diagnosis of her condition to determine whether to call 911?

Later today, the Philadelphia School District Nurses will hold a silent candlelight vigil for Laporshia.

Justice for Laporshia Massey dictates that we remain vigilant lest her tragic death is swept under the rug.

Roar for Your Right to a ‘Thorough and Efficient System of Public Education’

It’s Week Four of Philadelphia’s school funding crisis. The fight for equitable funding of traditional public schools is rooted in the Pennsylvania state constitution which provides for a “thorough and efficient system of public education.”

The fight for full funding is being waged online (hashtag #phillyeducation) and offline.

Students at Roxborough High School “got the eye of a tiger.” They created video to express their concern about the state’s failure to provide a “thorough and efficient system of public education.” Since 2001, Philadelphia’s public schools have been run by the School Reform Commission, which is controlled by the governor.

At last weekend’s conference at the Church of the Advocate, Bishop Dwayne D. Royster, executive director of P.O.W.E.R., said he’s raring to go. P.O.W.E.R., Philadelphia’s largest faith-based organization, is an interfaith movement that uses prophetic voices to “fight for the least, the last and the lost.”

He said “interposition and nullification are dripping from the lips of political leaders in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. It’s time to hold them accountable:

We must be the source of their nervousness; make them tremble when they see us coming.

Bishop Royster added:

We have to do something that’s going to be transformational.

If we work together, they will hear us roar.

@PhillyEducation: Get Ready for Your Close-up

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Back to School in Philly

Today is the first day of school in Philadelphia, where there is no love for public school students.

Students are returning to schools with overcrowded classes, “split-grade” classrooms and no full-time librarians.

There are no new books, no art or music, few guidance counselors and no plan to provide IEP services as mandated by federal and state law. Roughly 14 percent of the school district’s 136,000 students are in special education, which includes homeless, foster and gifted children.

The Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Action Network and 7000 Villagers for Quality and Safe Schools and Communities are organizing for action.

On Feb. 28, 2013, 7000 Villagers filed a class action lawsuit to stop the school closings and protect the interests of students who under federal and state law are classified as “special needs” students. The school district is required to develop and implement an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each special needs student. The lawsuit is about shared sacrifice (publicly funded charter and cyber schools are not subject to the “doomsday budget”), transparency and accountability. The bottom line: Follow the money.

It bears remembering that Gov. Tom Corbett runs Philly schools through the unelected School Reform Commission.

To get involved in the fight to ensure our children have equitable access to a “thorough and efficient system of public education” as required under the Pennsylvania Constitution, contact PA NAN at (215) 765-6181.

No justice, no peace.