Federal complaint expected.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund said yesterday thatit would file a federal civil rights complaint accusing thePhiladelphia School District of failing to address violence againstAsian immigrant students at South Philadelphia High School.
The complaint will claim that the district violated the students’ rightto equal protection under the 14th Amendment, said Cecilia Chen, astaff attorney with the organization.
Chen said the complaint would be filed with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
The news came on a day when the city schools chief and SouthPhiladelphia High principal spoke out publicly for the first time sincethe Dec. 3 attacks on about 30 Asian students by large groups ofstudents, most African American. They announced new security measuresand diversity programs.
[snip]
Wei Chen, an 18-year-old senior who is president of the ChineseAmerican Student Association, said students were not willing to meetwith Ackerman at the high school because “we think it is not safe forus to go back.” The students have not yet decided whether to return toschool on Monday.
“We are not seeking a problem,” he said, speaking in Mandarin. “We just want the school to improve, and we want a safe school.”