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Welcome to The Pennypack House School!
Serving Philadelphia’s Incarcerated Youth and Adults
“Empowering through Education”

A Message from the Principal...

From the Desk of The Principal

Welcome and thank you for visiting The Pennypack House School Program on the World Wide Web!

Our team, which consists of a Principal, two Assistant Principals, an Assistant Program Coordinator, and various general education teachers, special education teachers, pupil personnel services professionals, and paraeducators, is committed to ensuring that each incarcerated person served by the school program experiences the personal success required to not only imagine, but also realize any future they desire consistent with our systemwide vision.  Access to the School District of Philadelphia’s high-quality core instructional resources in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, complemented by integration of the 7 Mindsets Social-Emotional Learning solution, allows us to individually and collectively support and prepare school program participants for successful community reintegration and economic mobility.  We are confident that our efforts, which includes collaboration with families, makes a difference and contributes to individuals becoming productive workers, responsible family members, and engaged citizens following their involvement with the justice system.

As you navigate through our website, you will find general information about our vision, goals, and priorities, as well as other important public-facing school program, system, and enterprise information.  We encourage you to visit our website regularly as school program events and other things that may be of interest to you will be shared here.  Our school program website remains a work in progress; as we strive to keep stakeholders from all of our school program’s constituent groups abreast of the happenings and other key aspects of The Pennypack House School Program, you can expect to see the site continuously expanding.

Thank you for taking the time to explore The Pennypack House School Program where we are empowering through education!

Your partner,

Principal Y. N. Roundtree-Palmer, M.Ed., MSR

Mission: Graduation
Objective – Achieved!!!

The Pennypack House School team wishes to acknowledge and celebrate all of the young men and women who have been enrolled in our school program during the 2024/2025 academic year that have earned their High School Diploma as a result of them fulfilling the graduation requirements of the School District of Philadelphia and satisfying of one of the five Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Act 158 graduation pathways.  To learn more about the local (school district) graduation requirements, click here and, to learn more about the state (Act 158) graduation pathways, click here.  By staying focused on the mission and not allowing their circumstances to overcome them, they each achieved their personal objective of graduating and we are proud of each and every one of them.

Congratulations to each of the 43 graduates who obtained their High School Diploma through our program this year!!!  We also wish to congratulate the four additional graduates who also received their High School Diploma following completion of our Summer Learning Program in mid-July!

We look forward to supporting even more program participants in taking the steps necessary to realize and imagine any future they desire.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Annual Notification

The School District of Philadelphia maintains a variety of student records, the confidentiality of which is maintained in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations and Board of Education policy (in Board Policy #216).

District personnel, as well as parties acting for the District may access a student’s records provided a legitimate educational interest exists.  Parents/caregivers, including any natural or adoptive parent, legal guardian, or individual acting as parent in the absence of a parent/caregiver (i.e., a surrogate), have the right to examine a student’s records and to be provided with copies of any records maintained in a timely manner, upon their request, unless the District has been provided with evidence that there is a court order or other legally-binding document governing such matters as divorce, separation, or custody that specifically revokes these rights.  The right of access only covers the right to information in the student’s records that are about that student; it does not include or extend to any information in the student’s record that are or may be about any other student.

The Pennypack House School requires, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), written permission from a student’s parent/caregiver to release any information from the student’s record with two exceptions: 1) a student’s records may be disclosed, without consent, to schools of intended enrollment or to any other entity or under any of the conditions specified by law in 34 CFR § 99.31 or 2) appropriately designated “directory information” may be disclosed, without consent, unless you have advised the school to the contrary in accordance with School District administrative procedures.