On May 26th, the Charter School Office at the School District of Philadelphia made the recommendation to not renew the charter for Memphis Street Academy Charter School (MSA). If invoked, the school will close, displacing 500+ students by June 30. Not only will this have a devastating impact on the students, families, faculty and staff, but the community at large, who suffered for years from the violence and disorder that occurred at the former John Paul Jones Middle School. Since then, violence dropped by 90 percent while MSA became a forward-thinking school fulfilling its mission to enhance, support and promote the educational experiences of its students through its caring school community and commitment to providing resources and intense support in all aspects of students’ lives, not just in the classroom.

We need your help before the surrender clause is voted on during the School District of Philadelphia’s board meeting next Thursday (June 23). Please join MSA’s faculty, staff, students and parents in signing and sharing our petition to #SaveMSA. Your voice matters! It is our hope that all our work with local politicians, community leaders, MSA staff, scholars and families will result in votes in our favor. In the meantime, we must continue to do everything in our power to continue offering our scholars the caring and customized learning experiences they deserve. 

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. We will be providing updates here and on social media for upcoming events to #SaveMSA.