Jack Stollsteimer served as a juvenile court prosecutor in Delaware County, then as an   Assistant United States Attorney in Philadelphia, before his appointment by Governor Edward G. Rendell as Pennsylvania’s Safe Schools Advocate in 2006.  As the Advocate, Jack’s duty was to monitor the compliance of the Philadelphia School District with federal and state laws related to school safety, to analyze the District’s annual school violence data and report to the Legislature on his findings, and to represent the rights of victims of school violence in the disciplinary process. 

During Jack’s tenure, his investigations confirmed that the District underreported incidents of school violence by more than 100% annually and violated federal and state law by failing to expel students who possess weapons in schools.  In response to his reports the District worked with his Office to correct these violations and partnered with him in programs to have federal authorities trace firearms recovered in schools, to engage student leaders in an anti-violence program called the “Peace Core”, and to address the violence in the District’s most challenged schools by adopting the Single School Culture, which has lead to significant decreases in reported violent incidents in those schools. Jack is now recognized as a leading legal expert on issues related to school violence in the United States.  

As a member of the SERAPH school services staff, Jack is available to work with Districts and State Education Agencies on a variety of school safety issues:

• Liaison with Federal and State agencies for funding needs.
• Report on compliance with federal and state school safety laws.
• Preparation of school codes of conduct.
• Conduct investigations into student or employee disciplinary matters.
• Act as Counsel to the board in expulsion and disciplinary hearings.