News

Inquirer Staff Report

An Asian civil rights group said today it filed a complaint with the Justice Department charging the Philadelphia School District discriminated against Asian students at South Philadelphia High School.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund alleges the District acted with “deliberate indifference” to harassment against Asian students at the school and intentionally disregarded their welfare.

The complaint says there were numerous instances in which school officials failed to take action after teachers and Asian students alerted them to an increasingly hostile environment towards Asian students.

This alleged inaction led to widespread attacks on Asian students at the school on Dec. 3, the organization said. About 60 students boycotted the school for a week after the attacks.

There was not immediate response from the district on the filing of the complaint.

A league staff attorney, Cecilia Chen, said in a statement that South Philadelphia High and the district “must be held accountable for failing to protect Asian students at” the school.

“The students have gone back to school but that does not mean that the school is now safe,” Chen said. “Asian immigrant students are still being targeted and threatened.”

A civil-rights complaint filed with the Justice Department is civil in nature and is aimed at obtaining broad reforms if it is determined that an institution was guilty of widespread violations.