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Parents Work To "Take Back" Violence-Plagued Philadelphia High School

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --  Parents and teachers band together to shake up a Philadelphia high school plagued by fights and unruly students.

The school is receiving a lot of money to fight back against the violence.

As a result of the unrest at George Washington High School, the Philadelphia School District removed the principal and says the school will be able to use a $100,000 grant to train staff on how to deal with the violence.

Francine Deal, one of the school's interim co-principals, says they're implementing restrictions on cell phones and changing admission and dismissal policies.

"We're trying to restore some of those practices so that the environment is safe," Deal says.

Ron Rice is a George Washington alum and has a son who attends the school.

"I'm hoping now that we can help the administration and the other parents try and rebuild the school into what it once was," Rice said.

At a Home and School meeting Wednesday night, Rice and other parents stated they're ready to help out the school's staff in any way possible.

"We really believe with the right transparency for new administration, we can take the school back and bring it back to where it was where the kids feels safer, where the teachers feel safer," Rice said.

The School District of Philadelphia plans on hiring a full-time principal at the school some time next year and says some parents will be part of that hiring process.

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