In an effort to ensure safety for its students, the Philadelphia School District has joined state legislators in the promotion of the Safe School Zone Act.
The statewide initiative, designed to target a number of gun- and drug-related offenses, is to be introduced by Philadelphia Democratic State Sens. Vincent Fumo and Shirley Kitchen and State Representative Jewell Williams (D-Phila.) sometime in the coming weeks.
According to Fumo spokesman Gary Tuma, the legislation will be enacted in response to the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs outside of T. M. Peirce Elementary School two weeks ago.
School District officials confirmed that the shooting has created a sense of urgency within the administration.
"The incident at the Peirce school got everyone's attention to take this issue seriously," District spokesman Fernando Gallard said. "We are now trying to figure out a way to move forward with this legislation."
Fellow District spokesman Vincent Thompson agreed.
"Students cannot learn if they don't feel safe, and teachers cannot teach if they don't feel safe," Thompson said. "This isn't about school districts being out of control. This is about procuring safety for our students so Childs' murder won't be in vain."
Specifically, the act calls for the creation of explicitly defined school zones which will reportedly be marked with signs. Within these areas, the "possession, use or control" of firearms will lead to mandatory prison time for offenders, according to a recent District press release.
In addition, Williams' legislation calls for increased penalties and fines for a number of violations, including repeat offenses, cases of sexual assault and rape, and traffic-related violations in school zones.
Once the drafts are finalized, the bill will be sent on to the Senate and House of Representatives for review. If passed and signed by Governor Ed Rendell, the act will then be solidified into law and implemented across the state.
District officials say they are confident that the bill will improve safety conditions on school campuses.
"We think that this law would be good for every school across Pennsylvania," Thompson said, adding that "therefore, we will be looking for bipartisan statewide support."
According to Thompson, safety negotiations between the District and the Mayor's Office are ongoing and have occurred through many incidents similar to the Childs shooting.
"We always give [the Mayor's and Managing Director's offices] a laundry list of what we want for security," Thompson said. "With all the weapons out on the street today, we are exercising due diligence."
According to Thompson, one of the security measures advocated by District Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas involves the presence of armed guards on school property.
Though talks of the proposal have been ongoing, Thompson said that the Mayor's Office has not yet provided a definitive response on the issue.
