Feds find merit in Asian students' claims against Philly school

After Dec. 3, the district spent $689,000 to install 126 security cameras, and reports of student-on-student assaults dropped dramatically. Students say all know they're being watched at the school, which is 70 percent African American, 18 percent Asian, 6 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent white.

Officials assigned more school police officers, set up diversity training, and announced the formation of a task force on "Racial and Cultural Harmony."

This month, the district opened the Welcome and Enrollment Center for Multilingual Families, where parents and children who are learning English can find educational resources. The district plans to create three "newcomer learning academies" for new immigrants.

The situation at South Philadelphia High has drawn parallels to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., where violence against Asians prompted a Justice Department investigation and, ultimately, a court order to fix the problem.

Federal officials found that Asian students faced "severe and pervasive" harassment at Lafayette, nicknamed "Horror High" after two dozen assaults in 2002, including the beating of the valedictorian.

School officials agreed to make major changes in a 2004 consent decree. However, violence persisted. Poor graduation rates and high administrative turnover led New York education officials to close Lafayette at the end of last school year.

Contact staff writer Jeff Gammage at 215-854-2415 or jgammage@phillynews.com.