Piece Comment

Story Review


Narrating as a duo, Nuwar Ahmed and Julian Roessler bring awareness to recent school closings in Philadelphia. Together they explore the question of whether the school closures are a potential cause for a violence increase in the city. They think that when a student’s school is closed down, they have to travel farther to get to school in another district. If the cultures of the students clash, or there is any gang activity, violence may occur. Nuwar said, “Because Philly is divided socially and racially, conflicts between rival groups can endanger the students.” This idea that school closures in Philadelphia is an issue with both education and safety seems unreal to me. Its sad that a student have to worry about their safety when being placed in a new school environment. A student’s focus should be on learning and building relationships in their community. It’s clear the issue is personal and important to the producers.
After listening to the piece, I’m left with a few technical questions and would like to know more about the school closures. How many have been closed recently? How many students have been uprooted from their schools from budget cuts so far? Will there be more closures soon?
This story is important to listen to because it offers a glimpse into the unique challenges students have in under budget school districts.