Resolution 000038

..Title Authorizing the Education Committee of the Philadelphia City Council to hold hearings regarding the current status of, and future plans for, the placement and education of behaviorally disruptive students in the School District of Philadelphia ..Body WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia has determined that as many as 5000 students are considered to be behaviorally disruptive and require special opportunities to learn and succeed; and, WHEREAS, Philadelphia's current school discipline system includes three remedial discipline schools serving six hundred students and six Alternative Behavioral Learning Environment (ABLE) Academies serving two hundred students; and, WHEREAS, The School District has sought to review existing programs and considered expanding the district's efforts to provide alternative education: and, WHEREAS, On January 24, 2000, pursuant to authority granted by Act 48 of 1999, the Board of Education ratified a resolution authorizing the School District of Philadelphia to contract with Community Education Partners, Inc. "CEP" a for-profit Nashville-based firm that operates schools in Houston and Dallas to educate some of the district's most disruptive and at-risk students; and, WHEREAS, It is critically important that alternative education be provided in a manner that fosters safety, stability and academic progress for this specific population of students. Now Therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, By City Council that the Education Committee be authorized to hold hearings regarding the current status and future plans for the placement and education of behaviorally disruptive students in the School District of Philadelphia.