South Philly High Enters US Anti-Bias Pact
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - One year after dozens of Asian students were beaten at South Philadelphia High School, the school district agreed to settle a Civil Rights complaint that grew out of the incident.
The 31-page settlement lays out the steps the district will take to prevent future violence.
U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger says his office filed the complaint after allegations that the district had been deliberately indifferent to the plight of Asian students who'd suffered years of beatings and harassment at South Philadelphia High.
"When school officials become aware of such conduct, they have a responsibility to make sure those students have a safe environment," Memeger said.
Memeger says the district admitted no liability, but it has adopted an anti-harassment policy and will enforce it by training school staff to intervene and stop incidents, report them, investigate them and take corrective action against the harassing student.
He says the complaint involved only South Philadelphia High, but he hopes the remedy is district wide.
Reported By: Pat Loeb, KYW Newsradio
