The School District of Philadelphia this year had a 20 percent reduction in the number of its schools defined as "persistently dangerous" under federal law, according to a preliminary report obtained by The Inquirer.
Twenty of the district's 265 schools were tagged dangerous last school year, down from 25 in 2008-09, according to the list, scheduled to be released by the state later in the month. The district has until Friday to appeal the results of any school on the list.
Nine schools came off the list: University City, Germantown, Northeast, West Philadelphia, Kensington Culinary, Kensington Business, and William Penn High Schools, and Roosevelt and Harding Middle Schools.
For Germantown and West Philadelphia, it was the first time since the No Child Left Behind Law began requiring states to identify dangerous schools in 2002-03 that they had not been on the list.
However, four schools - Roberto Clemente and Shaw Middle Schools, and Gratz and Sayre High Schools - were added, as their reported violent incidents rose. It is Sayre's first time on the list.
Schools are judged dangerous based on the number of violent incidents that occurred in the previous three school years relative to the size of the student body.
Dangerous incidents include weapons possession, murder, kidnapping, robbery, sexual offenses, and assaults. Only incidents that result in arrest are counted under Pennsylvania's criteria.
"We believe the School District is moving forward in a very positive way on this issue," district spokesman Fernando Gallard said, "but we all agree it's not fast enough."
Tomas Hanna, associate superintendent of academic supports, declined to say whether the district would appeal. He also would not release incident numbers on schools that came on or off the list, or elaborate on why.
Hanna and Myron Patterson, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's newly appointed chief safety executive, said the district is assessing the schools on the list and those that came off, and will come up with a plan soon on how to address safety issues in the district.
"We're putting together a comprehensive strategy," said Patterson, who came on the job 21/2 weeks ago, replacing James Golden.
Some are critical of the "dangerous" designation, questioning the accuracy of reporting.
"It's smoke and mirrors," said Michael Lodise, president of the school police officers union. Some schools report incidents more aggressively than others, he said.
