Six Mastery students took part in mob beating

Mastery Charter Schools says six of its students were involved in a recent Center City mob attack. 

A statement from the school says it helped identify the students using surveillance video of the beating.

Philadelphia police say three of the students from the school’s Lenfest campus at 35 S. 4th Street turned themselves today. 

They face charges related to the unprovoked attack of a 36-year-old man at Fourth and Walnut Streets on July 29.

“We are horrified and embarrassed that students who are a part of our Mastery community were responsible for this violent incident,” read a statement released by Mastery Charter Schools.

The Germantown-based charter school operator says it appears a total of six students, 8th and 9th graders, were involved in the beating that was caught by surveillance video. “We were able to review security cameras in the area and quickly identified several of the youths. We gave the names and contact information to the 6th District of the Philadelphia Police Department,” Mastery said in its statement.

Mastery Charter Schools’ CEO Scott Gordon appeared on WHYY’s Radio Times this morning. He said Mastery students are so upset by this that they plan the incident as a focal point for discussions this fall on the responsibility of its students to reject this type of behavior.

“The students want to send a message to their peers, not only at Mastery but across the city. So we are talking with the Mayor’s office and we’re hoping to be taking a leadership (role) and use this tragedy as something positive.

Gordon says the school is planning to hold expulsion hearings for all six students.