Hope for end to Asian student boycott

Dozens of Asian students continue to boycott South Philadelphia high school over violence they say is racially motivated.

Dozens of Asian students continue to boycott South Philadelphia high school over violence they say is racially motivated.

But community leaders say the boycott could end Wednesday depending on the outcome of a meeting today with the schools superintendent.

On Monday afternoon, the district’s new task force to address racial tensions at the school met for the first time.

The newly formed Taskforce for Racial and Cultural Harmony includes about 50 people. One member is Jerry Mondesire, President of Philadelphia’s NAACP. Mondesire says the task force can be effective.

Mondesire: I’m gonna push as hard as I can to get the system to hire more Asian American teachers, to expand the security personnel from what I understand is one or two Asian Americans in the system and that must change and it must change immediately.

Others who attended the meeting say they don’t understand how such a large task force could be effective in fostering reforms.

About 50 Asian students began a boycott on December 4th, the day after about 26 Asian students were attacked. The students say adults at the school failed to protect them, and, in some cases, even egged on the attackers.

A civil rights law firm says it will file a complaint with the Department of Justice, citing years of inaction by the district to protect the students.