Parents, teachers and students at one Bronx school are fighting to keep it from closing.
Junior High School 145 in Morrisania is one of several schools set to close in June because of low performance.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña attended a public meeting of the Panel for Education Policy Wednesday night in Manhattan, where school supporters strongly criticized plans to shut it down.
They say JHS 145 is one of several schools that can't perform well because of a chronic lack of resources, especially for English Language Learners or "ell" students.
"We have over 140 ELL students, with no ELL teachers. We have no ELL science, English, or math teachers, so how are we supposed to teach the children? How can we give them the education they need without the support or the services?" said one parent.
"Students are coming in hungry, they're living in shelters, they're sitting on the bus for an hour. How can we expect them to learn?" said City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson.
During the 2015-2016 school year, only eight percent of students at JHS 145 passed state reading exams, and only three percent passed state math tests.