Helen Gym Calls for Investigation of School Police Use of Force

Stills from the original video posted on Facebook by the Philadelphia Student Union.

Councilwoman Helen Gym sent a letter on Tuesday to the School District and the School Reform Commission calling for an investigation of an incident at Benjamin Franklin High School last week in which a student accused a school police officer of assault. The officer was filmed restraining the student, sparking condemnation on social media. A spokesman for the District told Philly Mag last week that the incident is being investigated, and that the officer had been reassigned. 

Gym’s letter, which is also signed by Council members Jannie Blackwell, Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Derek Green, Kenyatta Johnson, and Allan Domb, also calls on the District to publicize its policies regarding the use of force by school police officers as well as its officer training guidelines.

“It is our understanding that [School Police Officers], such as the District employee involved in the recent Benjamin Franklin incident, are not provided with the same level of training and preparation as City police officers who work with students,” Gym wrote. “Indeed, we know of no District or State mandate that limits or contains the use of force and physical restraint for SPOs interacting with students. This is cause for great concern.”

If the District doesn’t have policies governing the use of force, it should create them, the letter says.

A spokesman for the District said he would provide Philly Mag a copy of the District’s response to Council when it is sent. He didn’t have an estimate of when that would happen.

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