After the School Reform Commission voted Thursday night, three River Wards schools were not spared from the largest mass public school closure in Philadelphia history.
Charles Carroll High School, 2700 E. Auburn St., Douglas High School, 2700 E. Huntingdon St., and Sheridan West Academy, 3701 Frankford Ave. will all close in June after a unanimous vote Thursday night by the School Reform Commission.
19 people, including American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, were arrested when they tried to block SRC members’ entrance into the meeting.
The SRC did vote to keep four schools open. The schools that were saved are: T.M. Peirce Elementary in North Philadelphia, Roosevelt Middle in East Germantown, Taylor Elementary in Hunting Park and Paul Robeson High in West Philadelphia.
Last Thursday, about 75 students at Charles Carroll High School in Port Richmond protested the potential closing of their school. Caroll students in particular had been very active in fighting to keep the school open, along with representatives from education advocacy group, Youth United for Change.
Students from Carroll and Douglas will now have the option of transferring to Kensington Business School, Kensington Urban Education Academy, Kensington Health Sciences, or Mastbaum AVTS High School.
Students from Sheridan West Academy will be reassigned to Penn Treaty Middle School, 600 E. Thompson St. Beginning in September, Penn Treaty will expand to include grades 9 through 12, and will also become a reassignment option for Carroll and Douglas Students.
Hackett Elementary School, 2161 E. York St., will not close, but will lose students in grades 5 and 6, who will also transfer to Penn Treaty Middle School.
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Managing Editor Mikala Jamison can be reached at 215–354–3113 or at mjamison@bsmphilly.com.
