Panel Releases Report On Philadelphia School Violence

The AP (1/18) reports that a "Blue Ribbon Commission" of the Philadelphia school district has released a report "outlining several strategies for reducing truancy, suspensions and violent incidents," noting that city education officials "are pledging more accurate reporting of school violence and better support for victims as part of a broad effort to make the district safer." The district's plans "include offering better counseling for victims, offenders and witnesses; improving the relationship between school police and city police; and creating protocols for consistent reporting. The report identifies 46 of the district's most troubled buildings, including 19 labeled 'persistently dangerous' by the state."