In New York City thousands of protestors rallied last night at a Board of Education meeting. They’re angry about the city’s plans to close nearly two dozen so-called “failing” schools. FSRN’s Jaisal Noor brings the report.
A raucous crowd of more than 2,000 students, teachers, parents and elected
officials attempted to block the city from voting to close 23 schools. But their
attempts failed, and the Board of Education passed the measure, which is being pushed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Audience members with the umbrella group Occupy the DOE staged Occupy Wall Street-styled mic checks, disrupting the meeting. They also organized a student and teacher general assembly to facilitate broader participation by stakeholders.
Public school Parent Noah Gaubaum helped lead the protest. “It’s time that we have community involvement in our schools. Mayoral control has got to go. You cannot have one man overrule elected officials, parents teachers, students, community members and that’s what’s going on.” Organizers say they now plan to occupy the closings schools. Jaisal Noor, FSRN,
New York.