Jun 20, 2013
Lafayette was just one of 28 Chicago public schools that held its final day of classes Wednesday after the city's board of education drove through a late-May plan to shutter a stunning eight percent of all public schools in the city.
Wednesday's closures were just the first wave: 49 schools total, almost all elementary level, will permanently close their doors to students.
Lafayette parents and students are not willing to accept the city's plan, Progress Illinois reports:
"Closing Lafayette will kill our neighborhood and our families," said Rousemary Vega, a parent occupying the school. "We demand that this school stay open. We demand to keep our music programs, and our special ed program. We're not leaving until this school is saved."
When the school day ended, a group of nine took over the second-story room. NBC reports:
The protestors, who have labeled themselves "Occupy Lafayette," hung signs from the windows of the classroom. One person could be seen waving an American flag.
Meanwhile, over fifty supporters converged outside, chanting their support for the occupation. NBC reports:
Students were also seen playing musical instruments, an ode to the school's lauded music program.
The group--under the banner 'Occupy Lafayette'--succeeded in blocking the room for several hours before the police came to shut down the nonviolent sit-in.
The widespread closures are backed by the political muscle of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel who says he is trying to save money for the city and consolidate schools he deems 'underutilized'. Chicago workers, students, parents, and community members charge that the closures will devastate Chicago workers and students and erode public education, disproportionately slamming poor people and people of color.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
"87 percent of the district's 403,000 students coming from low-income families and more than 91 percent from minority households."
As students are locked out, over 850 school workers are being canned, with more layoffs likely to follow.
Education advocates deride the mass shutdowns as part of the national attack on education that is eroding school quality and teaching conditions, as Philadelphia guts its public school system by closing schools and firing school workers in a similar move.
The closures move forward despite fierce community opposition, including a 26,000-strong Chicago Teachers Union strike last September, the largest U.S. teachers' strike in decades.
CTU president Jesse Sharkey declared that the city's teachers back the parent and student occupation of Lafayette:
We stand in solidarity with the parents who are currently staging a sit-in at Lafayette Elementary School and are facing arrests by police. Lafayette is one of the schools that people were most bitter about. The parents, teachers and staff at that school really felt as though the decision to close it was an illegitimate one--in the service of students and the importance of that school to the neighborhood. But the Board jammed that decision through and people are determined to be heard. School closings hurt students and destabilize communities. The parents who are currently engaged in this non-violent protest are heroes and they are fighting in the best interest of their children.
_____________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
Lafayette was just one of 28 Chicago public schools that held its final day of classes Wednesday after the city's board of education drove through a late-May plan to shutter a stunning eight percent of all public schools in the city.
Wednesday's closures were just the first wave: 49 schools total, almost all elementary level, will permanently close their doors to students.
Lafayette parents and students are not willing to accept the city's plan, Progress Illinois reports:
"Closing Lafayette will kill our neighborhood and our families," said Rousemary Vega, a parent occupying the school. "We demand that this school stay open. We demand to keep our music programs, and our special ed program. We're not leaving until this school is saved."
When the school day ended, a group of nine took over the second-story room. NBC reports:
The protestors, who have labeled themselves "Occupy Lafayette," hung signs from the windows of the classroom. One person could be seen waving an American flag.
Meanwhile, over fifty supporters converged outside, chanting their support for the occupation. NBC reports:
Students were also seen playing musical instruments, an ode to the school's lauded music program.
The group--under the banner 'Occupy Lafayette'--succeeded in blocking the room for several hours before the police came to shut down the nonviolent sit-in.
The widespread closures are backed by the political muscle of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel who says he is trying to save money for the city and consolidate schools he deems 'underutilized'. Chicago workers, students, parents, and community members charge that the closures will devastate Chicago workers and students and erode public education, disproportionately slamming poor people and people of color.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
"87 percent of the district's 403,000 students coming from low-income families and more than 91 percent from minority households."
As students are locked out, over 850 school workers are being canned, with more layoffs likely to follow.
Education advocates deride the mass shutdowns as part of the national attack on education that is eroding school quality and teaching conditions, as Philadelphia guts its public school system by closing schools and firing school workers in a similar move.
The closures move forward despite fierce community opposition, including a 26,000-strong Chicago Teachers Union strike last September, the largest U.S. teachers' strike in decades.
CTU president Jesse Sharkey declared that the city's teachers back the parent and student occupation of Lafayette:
We stand in solidarity with the parents who are currently staging a sit-in at Lafayette Elementary School and are facing arrests by police. Lafayette is one of the schools that people were most bitter about. The parents, teachers and staff at that school really felt as though the decision to close it was an illegitimate one--in the service of students and the importance of that school to the neighborhood. But the Board jammed that decision through and people are determined to be heard. School closings hurt students and destabilize communities. The parents who are currently engaged in this non-violent protest are heroes and they are fighting in the best interest of their children.
_____________________
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
Lafayette was just one of 28 Chicago public schools that held its final day of classes Wednesday after the city's board of education drove through a late-May plan to shutter a stunning eight percent of all public schools in the city.
Wednesday's closures were just the first wave: 49 schools total, almost all elementary level, will permanently close their doors to students.
Lafayette parents and students are not willing to accept the city's plan, Progress Illinois reports:
"Closing Lafayette will kill our neighborhood and our families," said Rousemary Vega, a parent occupying the school. "We demand that this school stay open. We demand to keep our music programs, and our special ed program. We're not leaving until this school is saved."
When the school day ended, a group of nine took over the second-story room. NBC reports:
The protestors, who have labeled themselves "Occupy Lafayette," hung signs from the windows of the classroom. One person could be seen waving an American flag.
Meanwhile, over fifty supporters converged outside, chanting their support for the occupation. NBC reports:
Students were also seen playing musical instruments, an ode to the school's lauded music program.
The group--under the banner 'Occupy Lafayette'--succeeded in blocking the room for several hours before the police came to shut down the nonviolent sit-in.
The widespread closures are backed by the political muscle of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel who says he is trying to save money for the city and consolidate schools he deems 'underutilized'. Chicago workers, students, parents, and community members charge that the closures will devastate Chicago workers and students and erode public education, disproportionately slamming poor people and people of color.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
"87 percent of the district's 403,000 students coming from low-income families and more than 91 percent from minority households."
As students are locked out, over 850 school workers are being canned, with more layoffs likely to follow.
Education advocates deride the mass shutdowns as part of the national attack on education that is eroding school quality and teaching conditions, as Philadelphia guts its public school system by closing schools and firing school workers in a similar move.
The closures move forward despite fierce community opposition, including a 26,000-strong Chicago Teachers Union strike last September, the largest U.S. teachers' strike in decades.
CTU president Jesse Sharkey declared that the city's teachers back the parent and student occupation of Lafayette:
We stand in solidarity with the parents who are currently staging a sit-in at Lafayette Elementary School and are facing arrests by police. Lafayette is one of the schools that people were most bitter about. The parents, teachers and staff at that school really felt as though the decision to close it was an illegitimate one--in the service of students and the importance of that school to the neighborhood. But the Board jammed that decision through and people are determined to be heard. School closings hurt students and destabilize communities. The parents who are currently engaged in this non-violent protest are heroes and they are fighting in the best interest of their children.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.