PHILADELPHIA — As soon as Clarice Brazas heard Tuesday about the shooting by five apparent juveniles at Roxborough High that left four students wounded and one dead, the Philadelphia teacher thought: How will I explain this to my students?
“We always tell our kids, ‘Stay in school, do an activity, play a sport. These things will help you build a better life and keep you safe,’ but it seems like we can’t keep kids safe anymore,” said Brazas, who teaches at Academy at Palumbo, a public school in South Philadelphia. “Every single shooting is sad and heartbreaking, but it’s not the same when it happens in a place that’s supposed to be safe.”
It was a sentiment voiced over and over, among school officials and neighborhood residents: These boys were just playing a friendly game of football. If that’s not a safe haven, what is? Can schools protect their children?
