Board of Education Action Meeting: November 16, 2023
by Lisa Haver and Deborah Grill
This relatively brief action meeting was notable more for what the board did not deal with than the items on the agenda.
Earlier this month, Southwark Elementary became the latest district school to be closed indefinitely after exposed asbestos was found. Students’ lives and routines have been disrupted. Some are being bussed to South Philadelphia High, others to Childs Elementary. Yet the board said nothing about it–whether students and staff may have been exposed, how long it will take to contain the asbestos, what the cleanup will cost or when the school would reopen.
The board also maintained its silence on the impending closure of the Math, Civics and Science charter school, located directly across the street from district headquarters. MCS CEO Veronica Joyner declared last month that she was retiring and that since she alone could run the school, it would have to close. She also declared her intention to sell the school’s building, owned by Parents United for A Better Education, an organization she heads. The board of education, rather than exerting their authority as authorizer and overseer of the city’s charter schools, offered only vague promises to help MCS students find placements in district schools.
Parents and students attended a gathering at Math Science Civics on November 2 that had been billed as a meeting of the school’s board. But there was no agenda, no roll call of the board, and no reading of official minutes. APPS members who attended heard distraught parents and students beg for the school to stay open. Continue reading
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools 