Authorizing the joint City Council Committees on Education and Children & Youth to hold hearings exploring the creation of a School District of Philadelphia Chief of Joy.

Authorizing the joint City Council Committees on Education and Children & Youth to hold hearings exploring the creation of a School District of Philadelphia Chief of Joy. WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia has specifically identified joy as one of its six Core Values, touting: “Joy inspires active engagement and belonging.” Furthermore, Accelerate Philly , the School District’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, specifically identifies “prioritizing the social-emotional well-being, mental health, and intellectual and physical safety of all students and staff” as a critical component of the School District of Philadelphia’s current Theory of Action; and WHEREAS, In Philadelphia and around the country, mental health issues have become increasingly prevalent among young people. The City of Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis, has meant that there is a pressing need for safe havens and sites of socioemotional and trauma-informed supports in neighborhoods across our City, especially for young people who live and attend school in neighborhoods with the highest rates of gun violence; and WHEREAS, Despite the potential for Philadelphia schools to provide such socioemotional supports to young people, their families, and the broader community, Philadelphia schools have historically failed to offer sufficient mental health and trauma supports, and mental health and trauma have historically not been top investment priorities in setting the School District’s budget; and WHEREAS, Leading r…