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For The First Time, No Schools Designated "Persistently Dangerous" In The Phila. School District

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The School District of Philadelphia has announced none of its schools were designated "Persistently Dangerous" for this school year.

This marks the first time the School District does not have any schools designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE.) It is also the fourth year in a row the District noted a reduction in the total number of reported violent incidents.

District-wide violent incidents have declined 9.9 percent, going from 2,758 to 2,485 in 2013-2014.

However, the rate of violent incidents remained the same and student enrollment dropped from 149, 535 to 135, 149 the last school year.

Superintendent of the School District, Dr. William Hite says, "Our focus on improving school culture and safety throughout all of our schools resulted in the School District having no schools listed this year.  More students are making the right choices and our principals, teachers, and school staff members are providing the right supports and guidance. We are very proud of what our school communities continue to accomplish even with the limited resources they have. We know that our work is not done on this front but, we are delighted to reach this very significant accomplishment. Safety remains a high priority and we will continue working to ensure positive and safe environments in every school."

The two schools dropped the list are Lincoln High School and Sayre Middle School.

 

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