Group Protests Plan To Close Underperforming Schools
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While many kids were probably happy that schools were closed Thursday, that doesn't mean they want their schools closed permanently.
About 150 students, teachers, and parents gathered at City Hall to protest the city's plan to close 25 schools that the city says are failing or underperforming.
The protesters call the mayor's education policy destructive. They say the closures would affect a lot of low-income and special needs students, and would rather see the city give students the resources they need to succeed.
"There should be flexible schools, and opportunities for a diversity of schools to meet all the needs of all the kids. So it's not just public option, a diverse public option with flexibility, and opportunity for anyone to participate in whatever way they can," said Special Program Coordinator Carson Chodos.
"The first thing the did was to remove the money for the remedial classes. So if you're performing poorly, that's like if your car needs a repair, and you say okay, I gotta go to the shop, and take the repair money away. This is the Bloomberg idea," said Parent Sol McCants.
The Department of Education had no comment on the protest.
The Panel for Education Policy meets next week to vote on the proposed closings.