By
Kevin Bethel, a retired Philadelphia Police officer and the District’s Chief of School Safety (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
The School District of Philadelphia is expanding their mentorship program, which pairs school police officers with middle school students.
District officials said on Thursday this initiative is a long-term strategy to reduce gun violence in the city.
“Mentoring is so important,” said Kevin Bethel, a retired Philadelphia Police officer and the District’s Chief of School Safety. “The evidence identifies… if we just have one adult with a child, we can change the trajectory of that child forever.”
The program is the district’s effort to equip students with the “life skills necessary for their futures.”
If a family chooses to pivot their pre-K through second grade student to the hybrid learning model, he or she will have two days per week of in-person instruction and three days per week of online learning.
The new schedule would take effect the week of April 5 after all pre-K through second grade students who are already enrolled in the hybrid learning model have successfully begun some in-person instruction.
If a family does not respond to the survey, their student will continue with all-remote learning. Families are also permitted to remain all-virtual or revert back to online-only instruction after originally choosing to partake in the hybrid learning model.