WHEREAS, In September 2013, the School District of Philadelphia began operating under what itself described as a Doomsday budget, cutting thousands of staff positions including guidance counselors, librarians, music, and art teachers; and
WHEREAS, During the 2013-14 school year, 825 student, parent, and teacher complaints were filed with Pennsylvania Secretary of Education alleging curriculum deficiencies within the School District of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, These complaints ranged from allegations pertaining to lack of instruction, lack of guidance counseling services, lack of relevant student assessment information, lack of teaching staff, and lack of facilities which resulted in a loss of instruction; and
WHEREAS, Under 22 Pa. Code § 4.81(a), The Secretary (Pennsylvania Secretary of Education) will receive and investigate allegations of curriculum deficiencies from professional employees, commissioned officers, parents of students or other residents of a school entity; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Secretary of Education has a mandatory and ministerial duty to investigate all 825 of these complaints under the Pennsylvania Code; and
WHEREAS, To date, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education has failed to conduct a meaningful and thorough investigation of many of the 825 individually submitted allegations filed with the Department of Education; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby call on the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education to thoroughly investigate any and all allegations of curriculum deficiencies reported within the School District of Philadelphia that have been properly filed and received by the Secretary.
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