To the School District of Philadelphia

From the Student Body

Youthful minds of Philadelphia, our education is at stake! The School District of Philadelphia has recently announced an error in its lottery system. As a result, an abundance of schools around the school district are under-enrolled. This will cause class sizes of 35-40 students, 2-10 teachers to be lost, less funding for schools, fewer electives, and numerous other consequences. Why must the youth suffer from the incompetence of the School District of Philadelphia? 

On March 23, the School District of Philadelphia announced that merely 316 of the 800 available school seats will be filled. However, this applies to only 12 of the 38 schools. This is an example of systems trying to play us out of getting what we really need. The School District of Philadelphia hopes that their small accommodations will be enough. Yet, what about the other 26 schools? What about the rest of the students? Our classes will still have 35-40 students, and teachers will still be lost. The fire in our souls that ignites us to protest will thrive! We, the student body, demand: all available seats to be filled, a sufficient school budget, a disregard for PSSA scores in high school applications, and adequate resources for learning, meaning, we need our teachers! We need an education that is well-funded and well-rounded. Our education should not be jeopardized because the people in power will not admit that their attempt at equity failed. In a system where the people in power won’t fight for you, you must take initiative and advocate for yourself. 

We, the student body of the Philadelphia School District, are planning on walking out against these injustices. We plan to meet at City Hall at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, March 28th, 2023. All schools can participate! Please come to fight for our education. 

“I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change… 

 I’m changing the things I cannot accept.”

- Angela Davis