Update [9:48 PM] : Student Involved in Philly Student Union Action on Wednesday Night Speaks Out
Update [8:38AM]: Video of Sylvia Simms yelling at school students is online.
Update [12:37 AM]: Mother of student speaks out
Update: It looks like Sylvia Simms yelled “You must go to failing schools…you all belong in jail” at a screening of Won’t Back Down, the movie that promotes right-wing stereotypes of public school teachers and attacks teachers unions.
Families at the # Won’t Back Down Movie. Yes We Care. pic.twitter.com/KAzVwzoNKo
— Sylvia P. Simms (@Spsimms1) October 15, 2014
Last week, the School Reform Commission cast a 5-0 vote to dismantle the Philadelphia School District’s contract with 12,000 public school teachers. School teachers who make less than their suburban counterparts will lose more of their pay to healthcare costs and retired teachers lost their dental, vision and prescription coverage, and wouldn’t you know, that pissed off a lot of people. So here’s a refresher of what happened afterwards. Hundreds of students went on strike in support of their teachers, protests were held, someone was arrested outside of Tom Corbett’s office and educators from all over the region and country (a few from Canada) are expressing social media support for those teachers. Then at a protest, SRC Member Sylvia Simms yelled “you must go to failing schools” at school students supporting their teachers.
S. Sims, SRC member, yells @ stu. activists: “You must go to failing schools, you belong in jail” #stuvoice #phled pic.twitter.com/Myza2ewCwW — Nikki Adeli (@nikkiadeli) October 16, 2014
Commissioner Simms ridiculing our students by saying they “probably go to failing schools.” #phled
— Philly Student Union (@215studentunion) October 15, 2014
I don’t think there’s anything to say.
