You're right if you think tousands of students and parents are concerned about the possibility that the CPS brass will close their respective schools this coming fall. Nearly 1000 people, yes, 1000!, made their voices heard (or were they heard?) at last night's last public hearing on the issue.
Some of the citizens in attendance at the event are from schools served by our charity. Among those present were representatives from Chalmer Elementary and Pope Elementary, both located in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
One strong expression of the need to leave so called 'underutilized' schools open was reflected by an expression on a t-shirt worn by Anthony Patton. It stated, "Penn is more than square footage, it is our home." No one should doubt the truth in this statement.
That is a critical piece of information too often ignored by those pushing hard for multiple school closings. The neighborhood school is often the pillar of the community. Some parts of some schools are used for alternative schools. Still other schools are a resource for after-school programs such as AmericaScores. I've been a witness to CPS schools which are open on Saturdays. Often children attend recreational and educational programs. Likewise, parents in some communities attend literacy and health seminars on the weekend.
My point is this...be careful about shutting the school doors, you might well be harming an entire community.
Dick
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