To: Governor Tom Wolf
Children should be safe in their public schools
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Having nurses and counselors present all day – every day – is essential to making sure children have what they need. Not another day should go by without full time nurses and counselors in every school. Please release the $45 million in federal funds that you are currently withholding from Philly schools and could be used to rehire nurses and counselors.
Why is this important?
It’s unacceptable that this money is being withheld from our cash strapped school system. Act before another child dies.
Last week, a 12 year old died of an asthma attack in a school didn’t have a nurse.* Because of Philly budget cuts, her schools’ nurse is only there two days a week. That means that if a child is ill they cannot see a nurse during the other three days. As a parent, I know some things cannot wait that long. It meant there was no one there to deal with this child’s emergency.
Philly schools have had drastic budget cuts. This year they closed 23 schools, laid off staff and have not given the teachers what they need to succeed. And the resources are so bare bones that it means our children are not safe.
What makes the situation even worse is that because of these budget cuts, there aren’t enough counselors to deal with children’s grieving classmates after a tragedy like this occurs.
As the parent of a 5-year-old who plans to send my daughter to a public school in the coming years, I find this heartbreaking and unacceptable. When my daughter goes to public school, they need to have the resources to keep my daughter safe no matter what, in body and in mind.
We cannot allow this to happen in our schools. We cannot allow this to happen to our children.
Governor Corbett is withholding $45 million that could be used to put nurses and counselors back in schools. This money is vital to keeping children safe. We must demand that Corbett put money back into Philly schools before another child is harmed.
*http://citypaper.net/article.php?He-says-his-daughter-might-be-alive-if-not-for-school-nurse-cuts-16461
Last week, a 12 year old died of an asthma attack in a school didn’t have a nurse.* Because of Philly budget cuts, her schools’ nurse is only there two days a week. That means that if a child is ill they cannot see a nurse during the other three days. As a parent, I know some things cannot wait that long. It meant there was no one there to deal with this child’s emergency.
Philly schools have had drastic budget cuts. This year they closed 23 schools, laid off staff and have not given the teachers what they need to succeed. And the resources are so bare bones that it means our children are not safe.
What makes the situation even worse is that because of these budget cuts, there aren’t enough counselors to deal with children’s grieving classmates after a tragedy like this occurs.
As the parent of a 5-year-old who plans to send my daughter to a public school in the coming years, I find this heartbreaking and unacceptable. When my daughter goes to public school, they need to have the resources to keep my daughter safe no matter what, in body and in mind.
We cannot allow this to happen in our schools. We cannot allow this to happen to our children.
Governor Corbett is withholding $45 million that could be used to put nurses and counselors back in schools. This money is vital to keeping children safe. We must demand that Corbett put money back into Philly schools before another child is harmed.
*http://citypaper.net/article.php?He-says-his-daughter-might-be-alive-if-not-for-school-nurse-cuts-16461