CEO of West Philadelphia school speaks out about student safety amid growing after-school gun violence

PHILADELPHIA - It's been almost one week since a group opened fire at four Roxborough High School football players and another teenager as they walked out of a junior varsity scrimmage. Four students were wounded and 14-year-old, Nicolas Elizalde, died from his injuries.

Boys Latin Charter School’s JV team was there when gunfire erupted. Fortunately, none of their students were physically injured, but sophomore, Khary Brown, says he heard the gunshots.

"When I heard them I ran to the opposite, way to the far side of the field," he says. "We just shook hands, a few of them told us there were going to come here and play football with us, it was really sad," said Brown. 

Boys Latin Charter School CEO, Dr. William Hayes, says he is devastated that the places that are supposed to be safe spaces for kids outside of school are no longer viewed that way.

"It is like a gut punch that you didn’t expect," said Dr. Hayes. "To have that no longer be perceived as a safe space and an opportunity for joy was devastating to me, it goes very much against the message that we give kids."

The school community carried through the week with a heightened fear. The high school went into a lockdown on Thursday as a precaution after a middle school student found a magazine in their backpack on the bus. It was quickly lifted.

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On Friday, Dr. Hayes says they moved the football game from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m., which is a change they may continue to make moving forward.

"To suggest that daytime prevents anything like this from happening, we’re grappling with that not necessarily being true given the state of last week," he says.

Jamarr Williams, a senior and varsity football captain, would have loved to have the "Friday night lights" experience, but he says safety is more important to him.

"You always have to keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to your surroundings, unfortunately that’s the reality, that’s what it is, you can’t even play sports without having to worry about shooting at the game, shooting near the game or something like that," said Williams. "It’s just, it’s just dangerous, it’s not okay, it’s unacceptable."

Robert Teemer, a fellow senior and president of the student government, also got candid about his safety.

"This is a safe haven, sure, but once I step out there, who knows what’s going to happen," Teemer said. "We kind of lose that morality where a life is being taken, so I feel like, one, there are ways to solve it civilly, and then there are ways to solve it within our government, within our city."

Boys Latin lost six students to gun violence in the past five years, including a football player just last summer. Dr. Hayes says losing students to violence carries a persistent trauma and while it's difficult to hear what his students say about their safety, he's moved by hope for change. 

"We’re doing the job of ensuring they love one another, they’re connected to one another, they are safe when they are here. They are still deserving of our approval, our affirmation, our hope for us to rally around them because the majority of them are doing exactly what we want them to do," said Dr. Hayes. 

Students are hopeful for change, too, as they look forward to getting back to the football field without the fear of violence looming over them. Williams says he is optimistic for change, it's just a matter of motivating other students to have each other's backs. 

"I know we can change, we all have the ability to," said Williams. "It’s just a matter of like, will power, what you’re willing to do."