School District of Philadelphia expands mentoring program amid surging gun violence
School District of Philadelphia expands mentoring program amid surging gun violence
Less than 24 hours after a triple shooting left a 6-year-old boy critically wounded, the School District of Philadelphia announced they are expanding their mentoring program.
PHILADELPHIA - Less than 24 hours after a triple shooting left a 6-year-old boy critically wounded, the School District of Philadelphia announced they are expanding their mentoring program.
Mabel Whitaker, of Southwest Philadelphia, is still shaken hours after she witnessed the aftermath. There’s no value for life. Living life how can you just take somebody’s life? she said.
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Kevin Bethel, a retired Philadelphia Police officer and the District’s Chief of School Safety (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
The School District of Philadelphia is expanding their mentorship program, which pairs school police officers with middle school students.
District officials said on Thursday this initiative is a long-term strategy to reduce gun violence in the city.
“Mentoring is so important,” said Kevin Bethel, a retired Philadelphia Police officer and the District’s Chief of School Safety. “The evidence identifies… if we just have one adult with a child, we can change the trajectory of that child forever.”
The program is the district’s effort to equip students with the “life skills necessary for their futures.”
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Tara Matise teaches her prekindergarten students virtually in her classroom prepared ahead of planned in-person learning at Nebinger Elementary School in Philadelphia, Friday, March 19, 2021.
The School District of Philadelphia plans to offer universal summer school for all public school students in grades K-12 this year.
The district expects at least 14,000 students to enroll, based on internal data about student academic needs. Registration for the summer programs opened Thursday morning. Full-day classes will start on June 28 and run through mid-August, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Superintendent William Hite says it’s the most robust summer program offered by the district in recent memory.