Activists Call On ED To Stop School Closings

The Washington Post (1/30, Layton) reports that in "a raucous meeting," a group of activists opposed to school closings "converged at the US Education Department on Tuesday to demand federal action to stop the shutdowns, which they say disproportionately affect poor and minority students." Advocates from around the country "detailed how school closings are disrupting lives and destabilizing neighborhoods." The Post explains that such school closings are on the rise as many urban districts see declining enrollment because of demographic shifts and competition from charters, and notes that ED's Office for Civil Rights is investigating civil rights complaints related to school closings in Washington, DC, Newark, Philadelphia, Detroit, New York and Chicago. The Post adds that acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Seth Galanter said that while ED will prioritize the investigations, and while school closings "can be harmful, they are not necessarily civil rights violations." Meanwhile, the Post reports that Education Secretary Arne Duncan stressed the complexity of the issue and quotes him saying, "I don't know any educator who wakes up in the morning and says, 'I want to close schools.'"

 

The Huffington Post (1/29, Resmovits) reports that while "the standards-based education reform movement calls school change 'the civil rights issue of our time,'" the advocates "converged on Washington Tuesday to tell US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan he's getting it backwards on school closures. Members of the group, a patchwork of community organizations called the Journey for Justice Movement, have filed several Title VI civil rights complaints with the Education Department Office of Civil Rights, claiming that school districts that shut schools are hurting minority students. While most school closures are decided locally, the Education Department's School Improvement Grant gives underperforming school districts money for shakeups or turnarounds, including closures." The article relates the views of a number of local activists, and reports that OCR has investigated and dismissed 27 civil rights complaints about school closings, with 33 more investigations active. "Duncan opened the meeting by saying his job was to listen," the Post reports, quoting him saying, "As populations go down, a lot of changes have to be made." The piece notes that due to scheduling issues, Duncan "left the meeting after 45 minutes, leading to a quick 'Where is Duncan? Where is Duncan?' chant."

 

The Chicago Sun-Times (1/30, Sweet) reports that a group of Chicago activists attended the event, "trying to prod Education Secretary Arne Duncan to intervene" in Chicago Public Schools' efforts to close a number of schools. "The Chicago group is using several strategies to address the closings, including raising questions over whether shuttering neighborhood schools violate the civil rights of the minority communities impacted." Medill Reports (1/30, Lowry) also covers this story.

 

Alabama Live (1/30, Leech) reports, "Students, parents and community leaders from 18 different cities testified today" at the ED hearing "on the civil rights violations they say are resulting from the closing of schools serving predominantly low-income minority students. While Birmingham was not one of the cities represented at the hearing, it is facing school closures this year as it has many times before." The article reports that advocates "had several demands of the US Department of Education, including a moratorium on school closings until a new process can be implemented nationally; implementation of a sustainable, community-driven school improvement process as national policy; and a meeting with President Obama."

 

OCR To Investigate Philadelphia Complaint.The Philadelphia Daily News (1/30, Watkins) reports that a group of Philadelphia advocates argue that the local district's plans to "close 37 schools in June disproportionately affects minorities and disabled students and speaks to a widening gap between the city's economically disenfranchised youth and their more fortunate counterparts. Action United and the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS) announced Monday that the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights intends to investigate a complaint that the groups filed."

 

Atlanta Public Schools Parents, Graduates Protest.WSB-TV Atlanta (1/29, 5:47 p.m. EST) reports, "Atlanta public schools parents and graduates traveled to Washington, D.C. for a school protest. There they met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan for several hours today. They're calling for a nationwide moratorium on school closings that they say unfairly targets poor neighborhoods. APS has defended its school closings citing drops in enrollment."