Calling on the City Council Committee on Education and the City Council Committee on the Disabled and Special Needs to form a task-force which will support Philadelphia's Office of the Safe Schools Advocate.

WHEREAS, The Office of the Safe Schools Advocate was introduced as legislation in 2000 and created in 2001 by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia branch of the Office of the Safe Schools Advocate was closed in 2009 due to a failure in funding and was consequently relocated to the Harrisburg area; and

WHEREAS, As of December 2011, the Office of the Safe Schools Advocate returned to Philadelphia under the administration of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the State's juvenile and criminal justice agency; and

WHEREAS, The Office of the Safe Schools Advocate currently operates out of the School District of Philadelphia's administrative building; and

WHEREAS, The Office of the Safe Schools Advocate provides information to families, advocates on the behalf of students and represents them at disciplinary hearings; and

WHEREAS, The Office of the Safe School Advocate's primary goal is to protect the rights of those that are victims of school violence; and

WHEREAS, The Office of the Safe School Advocate promotes an environment of learning for students, parents and staff; and

WHEREAS, The task-force will be comprised of various stakeholders from all levels of government and co-sponsored by the Chair of the Committee on Education and the Chair of the Committee on the Disabled and Special Needs; and

WHEREAS, Strengthening the resources of the Office of the Safe Schools Advocate will allow for said office to better carry out its mission and goals; now therefore, be it,

Resolved, That the Philadelphia City Council, Calls on the City Council Committee on Education and the City Council Committee on the Disabled and Special Needs to form a task-force which will support Philadelphia's Office of the Safe Schools Advocate.

End