To keep the peace inside Philadelphia's Catholic high schools, little things mean a lot. Rigid rules that carry demerits for lateness, violating the dress code or chewing gum are credited by officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with keeping the schools safe.
Officials say the threat of violence is greater outside the buildings than inside.
Last year, the 22 high schools with 23,000 enrolled in five counties expelled two students for weapons and about 10 for drug dealing, said Dr. Thomas O'Brien, director of secondary school services, who oversees systemwide discipline. About 200 high schoolers were dismissed for disciplinary reasons, he said. O'Brien bristled at the suggestion that disciplinary problems are dumped into public schools. Each school offers counseling, parental conferences and neighborhood troubleshooting to deal with disruptive students. At Roman, which draws its 836 students from dozens of parishes, the handbook has a perforated page students and parents must sign to show they understand the rules.