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Dear Supporter,

Before the 2013-­14 school year began in September, we couldn’t have predicted that the crisis that our school district was facing was going to get much worse. In fact, it was far worse than anyone could have

imagined. After threats by Superintendent Hite that schools might not be able to

opened in a state that could scarcely be called adequate. A wave of anger and shock rumbled through social media networks as teachers, students, and staff posting about “#Philly1stDay” on Twitter exposed the cruel reality of what was happening to Philadelphia’s public schools. The next day, our blog’s collection of tweets highlighting the “Worst of #Philly1stDay” trended nationally. Philadelphia’s manufactured education crisis quickly escalated to a national example of just how bad things could get in the slow, yet deliberate, attack on public education.

“education reformers” who would rather ignore the needs of students than make substantial commitments to the future of young people in Philadelphia. One tragedy that moved us to action this year was the death of Laporshia Massey, who might still be with us today if her school had a full time nurse in the building when she suffered an asthma attack. Students are struggling more than ever with their college applications this year, as some Philadelphia high schools reached a counselor-­to-­student ratio of 1 to 3,000 this fall. That’s twelve times higher than the 1-­to-­250 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

with no clear plan as to how to combine different school cultures, teachers, and new students. The buildings to which Philadelphia’s students are sent each day are merely buildings called “schools” as they lack the resources necessary to serve the function of educating young people.

education in the United States. You’ll read stories of failed school mergers, a lack

education we know we deserve. In September, students from the Philadelphia Student Union, Youth United for Change, and Juntos rallied in front of the Union League where a meeting of philanthropists and corporate representatives from groups like the Gates Foundation, Bank of America, and the Philadelphia School Partnership was being held to discuss “education-­reform.” Armed with noise makers

and bullhorns, students brought the noise and made sure that the attendees knew the youth of Philadelphia are saying “NO!” to more school closings. “NO!” to the privatization of their school district, and “NO!” to policy decisions being made behind closed doors without the input and voice of students and community.

Students are also taking the story of Philadelphia to a national audience. Nuwar, a senior at J.R. Masterman

Our Alumni are some of our biggest supporters! Here’s a group of Alumni at our summer program, BAYM (Building a Youth Movement).

Philadelphia Student Union exists to build the power of young people to demand a high quality education in the Philadelphia public school system. We are a youth-­led organization and we make poistive changes in the short term by learning how to organize to build power. We also work toward becoming life-­long learners and leaders who can bring diverse groups of people together to address the problems that out communities face.

Philadelphia Student Union4205 Chestnut St. Floor 2Philadelphia, PA 19104215-­253-­4586www.phillystudentunion.org

To join our newsletter mailing list or for permission to reprint students’ articles contact:beth@phillystudentunion.org

Support PSU’s work. Make a secure, tax deductible donation at;;www.phillystudentunion.org/donate

Article Editor: Beth PatelArt/Design: Alex Shin, Alexander Printing & GraphicsCover Photos: Chris Willis

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Brittany’s experience

Children learn many things as they get older, for example

school. At that age no one expects their school to close, teachers and counselors to lose their jobs, programs to be cut, or only having a nurse their in school for only two or three days a week… until it happens.

Last year 24 schools were closed. The main people affected were students, teachers, counselors, nurses, and the principal. My experience with school closures has been the new students and teachers who came from Bok to Southern in the beginning of the school year of 2013. For the past 5 months, students and staff

how to successfully merge two different school cultures in one building. It’s been really stressful for all of us. I feel that neither the School District nor Gov. Corbett care about students’ futures.

If they really cared about students, there wouldn’t be any school closures. Students are most affected by closures because they’re losing the home they called their own for 4 years or longer. Students now have to get used to their new life at a different school, a different building and new relationships with different people they don’t know. They try to get on with their lives as a new student but it’s not fair having to start over.

This topic matters to me so much because when I was a Sophomore at Southern, most of the teachers were

One of those teachers that was let go was helping me with my reading. He

A Tale of Two Students

High School, participated in a student panel on MSNBC this year. Sharron, a senior at Benjamin Franklin High School, was a guest on The Stream on Al Jazeera America. We’ve been featured in The Nation, Colorlines, and several platforms that reach millions of Americans daily. The Philadelphia Student Union has been able to tell the story of Philadelphia and the rest of our nation is beginning to listen.

Our analysis is deepening. Students are continuing to look at the root causes of this national attack on public education. We recognize that not only politicians are to blame for this manufactured crisis. We know that our targets have deep pockets to fund “reforms” that are not meant to help students, but rather

However, we also know that the power of organized people can beat the power of money any day of the week. We have

only the high quality public education students demand, but a Philadelphia we ALL deserve.

Thanks to the constant support of our allies, we will continue to deepen our analysis and bring the voices of

for public education. We know that now, more than ever, is the time for us to stay committed to our work. In the pages ahead we will share with you our experiences and demands. We have no

the systems that oppress us and the larger forces that attempt to privatize our education and push us out of our schools and city. We are grateful that you are standing with us.

In Solidarity,

The Students and Staff of the Philadelphia Student Union

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helped me when I needed someone but felt like I couldn’t ask anyone else because I was afraid they would make fun of me. Now he’s gone and I still need to further my education. I know that even though this is my last year in high school I have to get ready for my life after. But if schools lose more money, how can I and the other students behind me move on? How can I pay for college if they’re cutting programs and staff that can help me get scholarships?

aid?

Students are doing so many things to

schools in the Philadelphia. For example, organizing marches and rallies at the

about our experiences, and organizing student assemblies. Students also join organizations like the Philadelphia Student Union and Youth United for

going to PSU was to stop Governor Corbett from cutting more programs, schools, teachers, sports, and activities from students who need it the most.

Henry’s experience…

I’m Henry Pierre-­Louis, an immigrant student from Haiti. I

have been in the United States since October 2010. I left my country for a lot of reasons, but the main ones were the earthquake and for a better education so I can succeed in my life. Since I have been in Philadelphia, I have seen public education getting worse every day. In 2010 when I went to school, I got all the resources that I needed for school. My school, at that time, had a good number of nurses, counselors, school

the school safety issue was better for everybody. But because of all of the budget cuts, in 2012-­2013, the public schools got worse.

This year South Philadelphia High School has had a big change. Because their school was closed, most of the students from Bok High School came to Southern where our school

now only has two counselors and no librarian. Because the number of students has increased, the teachers can’t give students the attention they need. Students fall behind in their work and start feeling frustrated. Our classes don’t have enough resources for everyone and I feel like we’re not getting the education we deserve.

The students that are really affected are us, the Seniors, since the population of our school increased the senior class is struggling to get stuff done. I have to make sure that my college applications are done, register for the SAT, and get my transcripts. I used to have a bilingual counselor because English is my second language. But now I don’t have that counselor anymore. The counselor I have now, I haven’t seen him. The current counselor I have works with 9th and 12th graders, but he is always busy and I need him for help with scholarships.

Another major issue we have to deal with at South Philadelphia High School is that the two schools, South and Bok were merged together even though they had different school cultures. This has caused a lot of tension and confusion for everyone in the building. The school district put these schools together

without any real plan for how to do it safely and successfully. They didn’t think about what was best for us. So now there’s more work for our principal to

or resources from the district. That’s not right and it’s not fair.

So what happens now?

Students are organizing at South Philadelphia High School in the face of these budget cuts.

at South Philadelphia High this year, and while it has not been easy, many former Bok students have joined PSU in an effort to improve conditions at their new school. Students were able to ease the transition of Bok coming into South Philadelphia High by informing their peers about decisions made at the District level. PSU’s South Philadelphia High Chapter is a great example of what can happen when students organize together.

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this past year as part of the largest

Hello, my name is Devonne Fisher, I am a Senior at South Philadelphia High School and

a leader with the Philadelphia Student Union. Last year my school was one of 24 schools closed in Philadelphia. I went to Bok Technical High School and since then, it’s been tough for me as a student.

Along with my school being closed, this year’s budget cuts have been damaging to my education and my

sure that the governor funds ALL of our schools!

At Bok, when we found out our school was closing, the students and staff felt angry. I also felt sad because I lost some of my CTE classes. This would have been a great opportunity for me to experience and learn new things.

Because my school was closed, it will be harder for me to get into college

because colleges may not have the information about the classes I took in my old school. No pictures taken over the summertime at Bok will be in the year book for South Philadelphia High School, and students from Bok won’t be able to graduate in our school’s original graduation uniforms and school colors.

All of the students at South Philadelphia High School are getting used to new students and new teachers. I don’t have teachers who can write college recommendations for me because they have only known me for a year and are still getting to know all the new students. This is not right!

The students in Philadelphia are

school closures will happen in the

brothers and sisters won’t have to! Last year, students from the Philadelphia Student Union, Youth United for Change, and others from across the city organized a walkout of thousands of

our schools stay open and our schools are fully funded!

Today, Philadelphia students, teachers, and parents stand in solidarity with the students of Chicago who are also facing budget cuts. Last year they had 54 of their schools closed down. That was the largest number of schools closed at one time in the history of the United States! That is not right! Loop Capital played a role in those closures in Chicago. The deals Loop Capital made with the banks and the city of Chicago led to 54 schools closing, and thousands of students having their educations affected and futures possibly destroyed.

Schools are places to go and learn, and for youth to start their future. We

Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and all over the country!

No More School Closures!

Fund Our Schools!

a speech given by Devonne Fisher

National Day of Action to Reclaim Public Education

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to statewide public education from Governor Tom Corbett. With all these budget slashes, many school closures are occurring due to their “under performance”. But how can they be expected to “perform” when they are

In schools that remain open, they are barely functioning, many have half the amount of teachers as they did before, lack of libraries and basic resources such as textbooks and even custodial staff. But one of the most devastating cuts has been to the counselors. When groups of parents were asked

what was their biggest concern, most said safety. Now, what does safety pertain to exactly? Violence in schools due to over crowding? Bullying? Overly stressed teens looking for outlets? Although these are real issues within schools, the people in power

with the “safety” issue was to just increase the amount of

not only provide a sense of intimidation, but also make the school environment feel more like a prison. Anything a student does wrong, he or she will be punished like a criminal. Interestingly enough, guidance counselors are there to prevent any if not all of these things from occurring. They stop the problem before it even

that will stop the problem after it has happened. The big question is,

why is this all working out this way? Giving us more cops than counselors is not fair and

Counselors are the people whose jobs are to “help students understand their

abilities, aptitudes and interests in light of the opportunities and demands they experience presently or may experience in the future.” If that’s the case, then why were hundreds of counselors laid

being increased within schools? Where are the priorities of those in charge when they believe the best way to keep a school safe is by treating it like a prison? Within the Philadelphia School

District, and many other school districts across the nation, drastic budget cuts to education are being made due to the lack of prioritization for education from our “leaders”. Within Philadelphia, the school district faces a $304 million

students to not be able to talk to a person who is trained to handle any issue a student has but, once again, students are swept under the rug and those in power don’t seem to care. But do not let this all fool you;; students and counselors alike

Students and youth-­led organiza-­tions including Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) are organizing rallies to fund schools but counselors are taking a different approach. The counselors in Philadelphia are trying to implement a bill that makes it mandatory for counselors to be in schools with a ratio of 1-­250 students. Although it will take time and debate, the end goal will be to solidify the importance of the school guidance counselor into law so if there are more budget cuts, counselors are

they can help lighten the unfortunate and frustrating situation those in power have left us all in. This is what I like to call the

“dumb” cycle. Let’s start off with the basic funding issue. There is not enough money so those in charge must decide where the money goes. They decide it is much easier to increase police

without counselors, many students have no one to talk to, children with behavioral problems or with personal issues cannot seek the guidance they need. With the increase of police

many cannot solve then root of their problems with the help of a counselor, which leads to some sort of violence, directed towards themselves or others. More kids are now going to prison

If Counselors Are So Important,

Why Don’t We Have Them?

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I’m Othella Stanback. I’m a long-­time member of the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) and this is

my Senior year of high school. This year, as a member of PSU, I was introduced to the Campaign For Nonviolent Schools (CNS). The Campaign for Nonviolent Schools is a citywide coalition that aims to end all forms of school violence without pushing students into criminal justice

know we were a part of a movement much greater than just our organization. Some of you may not know what the

Campaign for N o n v i o l e n t Schools is;; it’s a citywide youth o r g a n i z i n g campaign where d i f f e r e n t organiza t ions come together to

cause: positive alternatives to s c h o o l discipline. It’s a diverse group of students from many different schools, L.G.B.T.Q youth, and immigrant youth. Some of our biggest victories have been

the rewriting of the School Code of Conduct and the implementation of Restorative Practices programs in ten high schools this year. I was a part of making some of these changes. I’m a member of the

Campaign for Nonviolent Schools because it helps me understand more about what we’re up

better school climate. I

out if I want be a youth organizer and I decided that I do. CNS has shown me that I can be a successful organizer if I put my mind to it. I believe in equality and

that everyone is entitled to a quality education. Therefore, I joined CNS to

discipline that help the students in the Philadelphia stay in school, as opposed to being pushed out.

On November 2, 2013, I participated in a daylong retreat with other youth organizations that are also members of the Campaign for Nonviolent Schools. The morning started off energetic with an icebreaker but people seemed to be hesitant because they where coming from different parts of the city and they didn’t know each other. As a leader in my organization I knew that I needed to help establish relationships and create bonds not only among PSU members, but also with the members of other organizations. After the introduction and icebreakers

we watched a video of what CNS has done throughout the past years. The slide show was interesting to me and I

Campaign for Nonviolent Schools Update: Retreat Report-Back

to the larger group.

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wished I had joined sooner. I saw lots of alumni from the Philadelphia Student Union. As, I watched a slide show I realized that all students care about their education, so I need to do what I can so they can have a good education.

As the day progressed the students became more relaxed as students and staff shared personal stories connecting to one another. We did that connecting through a workshop called the Education Timeline. In this workshop we learned what happened in education in Philadelphia for the last ten years and we wrote our own experiences that brought us to being a part of this citywide movement.

Working on our personal timelines. Answering the question: What happened to us in school that really impacted us?

Break-­out groups creating their CNS tree house, where all the CNS organizations live!

After lunch we regrouped and we did my favorite workshop called the “Organizing Workshop”, where I got to play the role of “Filthy Richbanks”, a rich land-­owner. There were three groups of people “The Rich”, “The Organizers”, and “The Service Providers”. The organizing workshop teaches you to think like someone in power and also shows you how much power we, as the people, have. We learned that in organizing you need a demand, you need to know your targets and you also need to know how far you are willing to go to get what you want. Sadly we had to end the day. The last

thing on the agenda that day was what roles the student leaders from the

different member organizations would like to continue to play in making CNS strong. Now students that came to the retreat meet every two weeks and discuss topics much bigger than ourselves. We call ourselves the “Super – Y(outh)”, the youth leadership team of Campaign for Nonviolent Schools. This year we have decided to stay focused on achieving an even better code of conduct and restorative practices in more schools. We will continue our work together to win the nonviolent schools we deserve.

and with this increase of youth going to prison, the governor believes the best way to solve this problem is by what? You guessed it, building more prisons to keep up with the increase of incoming young prisoners, instead of solving the problems that are occurring at the schools to begin with. Governor Corbett has ignored the $304 million

system and has allocated $400 million for two new prison complexes outside of Philadelphia. As a senior in high school trying to

apply for colleges, having a counselor to answer my questions and help me through the process is extremely important. This is my future and I think people are taking advantage of the fact that students are strong and counselors actually provide an important job within

against budget cuts and the dumb cycle, who will?

Nuwar Ahmed is a Senior at J.R. Masterman High School.

Cont’d from pg 6

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According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 5% of the US

population has asthma and the numbers are growing. An estimated 4.8 million people affected by asthma are children, many of them from low-­income families. According to the Public Health Management Corporation, 23% of children in Philadelphia have asthma.

In the last two years Governor Corbett cut one Billion dollars from education. In Philly, our district responded by cutting nurses so we don’t have them in school every day. Recently a student with asthma died on a day that there was no nurse in her school.

We Need Nurses in Every School:In Honor of Laporshia Massey

Laporshia Massey was a 6th grader at Bryant Elementary. She had really bad asthma and she was having complications in school. But there was no nurse at her school that day. The school only has a nurse on staff two days a week. A staff member at Laporshia’s school called to inform her father that Laporshia was having trouble breathing. Laporshia’s father, Daniel Burch, said he would take care of her when she got home because he thought there was a school nurse there that day. A staff person at her school drove her home and her father noticed how bad her illness had become so he rushed her to The Children’s Hospital

Of Philadelphia where she was pronounced dead later that evening.

If the nurse was at school that day she maybe would have known how bad Laporshia’s condition was and could have done something about it. If the nurse was there that day she would have probably given her an asthma treatment or if that wasn’t going to be enough she would have sent Laporshia to the hospital. Things might have been different for Laporshia if she had a nurse at her school.

Why Don’t We Have Nurses In Schools?

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We don’t have school nurses because Governor Corbett cut millions from Philadelphia public education. Those cuts took away a lot of our full time nurses and made them part-­time nurses. That means some schools only have nurses three times a week or even less. But if something happens to a student when the nurse is not there, there could be serious consequences, like with what happened to Laporshia.

Suburban schools have nurses in their schools every day because they have more money than our schools. Personally, I feel like Governor Corbett doesn’t care about my safety because if he did he would know better than to cut school funding. Because we don’t have a fair funding formula, schools in the suburbs have more money, this makes me feel like my education is not a priority to Governor Corbett. Pennsylvania needs a funding formula so all schools have enough money to have full time nurses.

Not having nurses in schools everyday makes schools unsafe. Not having someone you can go to when you’re sick or hurt is not good at all. All schools should have nurses in their schools every day from the time school opens till it closes. My school, Ben Franklin High School, doesn’t have a nurse every day. She doesn’t come in on Thursday, so are we not supposed to need her on that day? Last year a friend of mine got hit in the head with a

concussion. There was no school nurse that day, so he had to sit in the main

parents got off of work. Anything could have happened to him during those painful three hours. No one knew what to do that day because we didn’t have

concussion.

Laporshia’s tragic death breaks my heart because I believe this could have been avoided if her nurse was there

at a rally in

stand in solidarity

our medical problems because they are

school nurse every day for the whole day. Most school staff cannot tell you if your condition is mild or severe or if you need to go to the hospital. Most staff are

problem. That’s why we need school nurses. We, the Philadelphia Student

formula in Pennsylvania. If we had a funding formula we would have all the money we need for our district and have enough money for nurses.

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W

Changing Student’s Lives And Carrying On:

Stanley St. Louis is a Senior at South Philadelphia High School.

Stanley speaking at the Heschel-­King Festival last year about his experience

A Reflection on my Time as a PSU Member

PSU is a way for me to express myself .... it also helped me become more confident to speak my voice in my community.....