January 5, 2022 PHILADELPHIA—"First, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the absolute horror that unfolded in Fairmount this morning. The PFT mourns the devastating loss of thirteen lives, including seven children, in this catastrophic tragedy. Our words are certainly insufficient, but we send our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, and school communities affected by this tragedy. "In order to keep the District informed of ongoing concerns regarding their untenable approach to school operation during this unprecedented virus surge, we reissued our survey of PFT Building Representatives to once again quantify the deep concerns we have around the COVID mitigation measures within our school buildings.  "Today, building representatives again completed a daily report back survey which detailed conditions in schools. We received 147 responses, which detailed the following: MORE

January 4, 2022 PHILADELPHIA—"Instead of heeding our call for a 7-day pause on in-person learning to effectively plan for adequate mitigation measures, the District undertook an outrageous eleventh-hour plan that parents and educators alike learned about on social media late last evening. I was stunned yet unsurprised to learn that the list of schools impacted continued to expand until nearly midnight. "This failure to plan left parents, students, and educators scrambling yesterday evening and today. Amidst a 38% positivity rate in the City of Philadelphia, this approach is simply obscene. "At nearly every level, today has been chaotic and entirely untenable. MORE

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December 15, 2021 ​​​PHILADELPHIA—Today, in a joint hearing of Council's Committees on Finance and Children & Youth, PFT President Jerry Jordan testified about the School District of Philadelphia's ongoing facilities crisis. MORE

November 29, 2021 PHILADELPHIA—"I am outraged and heartsick that during the last several days, we have seen a further intensification of deadly violence in our beloved city. This afternoon, in broad daylight, while waiting for the bus, a young boy of only 14 years old was gunned down. Just yesterday, a 16 year old boy, Kanye Davis, was slain after being shot at least 8 times. Also yesterday, 21 year old Temple student Samuel Sean Collington was gunned down in an attempted robbery. All were students with their whole lives ahead of them, whose families, friends, and communities of loved ones are now left enduring the trauma of their loss. MORE

November 23, 2021 On the ongoing crisis of violence, PFT President Jerry Jordan issued the following statement: PHILADELPHIA—"The level of loss, heartbreak, and of lives stolen and cut short due to the ongoing scourge of violence in Philadelphia is simply horrific. A multi-pronged approach to this emergency is desperately needed, and we need additional supports in our schools to provide needed resources for our young people. MORE