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November 22nd, 2011

Parents Protest DOE Officials’ Threats To Close 47 City Schools

By Lindsey Christ, NY1

The Department of Education says dozens of schools are failing, but on Tuesday, outside the DOE headquarters in Downtown Manhattan, protesting parents said education officials have failed the struggling schools.

Chanting “Go get your F! Go get your F,” the parents said the 47 schools named in late September for being in danger of closing for poor performance deserve a second chance.

“We’re devastated that our school’s on the list of at-risk for closing,” said one parent.

“We’re asking the DOE as parents to give our school a chance,” said another.

Since Mayor Michael Bloomberg took control of the schools, 117 have been closed for poor performance and 528 new schools have replaced them.

The practice draws controversy every year, but in the end, the final decision is up to the Panel for Educational Policy, which is also controlled by the mayor.

So this year, parents are protesting before the final list comes out, to try to stop the process before it officially starts. They have held almost a dozen rallies so far.

“It’s not that the school is failing. The school was set up to fail,” said a protesting parent.

“They want to hold the school accountable, but at the same time they don’t want to provide the resources,” said another protesting parent. “They don’t provide parent training, they don’t provide parent support to help us help our children get the education they need.”

“This is my daughter. I want her to succeed, just like any other parent wants their daughter to succeed. I want to let her have a chance,” said a third protesting parent.

There is still a chance some of these schools will not be shuttered, as next month, officials release the final closure list.

Last year, about half the schools marked “in danger” ended up closed.

In a statement, DOE official Marc Sternberg said the department has been holding meetings to try to understand why each of the 47 schools is struggling.

Sternberg said, “Ultimately, a new school environment may be the best option for some communities, and we won’t hesitate to pursue a strategy that has raised graduation rates and changed thousands of lives over the past nine years.”

Parents argue the best strategy would be for the DOE to help the existing schools, and not replace them.

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