Philadelphia School District Welcomes Teachers Counselors with Safety Orientation
In the wake of the recent shootings in the United States, the Philadelphia School District is holding a weeklong orientation for both new hires and returning teachers and counselors.
- By Kaitlyn DeHaven
- August 08, 2019
The Philadelphia School District will have 650 new teachers and counselors this school year. About a month before the new school year starts, these new hires, in addition to returning teachers and counselors, are participating in a weeklong orientation at Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush Public Magnet High School in Northeast Philadelphia.
Trauma-informed care is one of the topics that will be discussed in the training, in light of the shootings that occurred last week.
“We do a significant amount of training particularly with administrators and principals and it’s done in conjunction with our school police and Philadelphia Police Department,” Dr. William Hite said. “We have protocols for emergency situations, we also have lockdowns we will go into if needed. Many times those lockdowns are called by Philadelphia police. There is a lot of training that goes into the declaration of a lockdown or other emergency situations.”
All new hires will receive “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” which is a book focused on the importance of equity.
About the Author
Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.