This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Tom MacDonald
Who should be allowed to take a child out of a public school building? Philadelphia City Council held a hearing today to help fine-tune the answer to that question.
The hearing comes after the Jan. 14 kidnapping of a young girl from William Cullen Bryant Elementary School by a woman wearing Muslim garb, apparently to disguise her identity.
A suspect, identified as Christina Regusters, has been arrested and charged with 14 crimes, including rape, kidnapping and assault.
Chief Inspector Cynthia Dorsey, who heads the District Office of School Safety, initially submitted testimony admitting serious security breaches at the school, but did not give that testimony during the hearing.