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Beach Channel & Jamaica Students Support Smith Against Closure

Jan. 11, 2009 – Alfred E. Smith High School, Bronx A standing room only crowd filled the AE Smith auditorium to oppose Bloomberg’s Department of Education’s (DOE) plan to close Smith down. Students, parents, teachers, politicians & community activists, including business leaders, defended Smith’s track record in providing essential vocational and technical career training to … Continue reading →

PAREMOS: El Cierre de Las Escuelas PúblicasPor Bloomberg y La Invasión Por Escuelas “Charter”PROTESTAJueves 21 de enero4 – 6:30 PMCalle 79 y la 5ta AvenidaNos reuniremos en la cuadra dela residencia del Alcalde BloombergÚnase a esta protesta para apoyar a los estudiantes, padres, y maestr@s de las 22 escuelas afectadas por la propuesta del cierre … Continue reading →

School Closure Forums at Columbus High School (1/7/10) and at the Choir Academy of Harlem (1/8/10)

The Columbus community walked around their school building three times in a demonstration of school pride before they confronted the New York City Department of Education in their school’s auditorium. Members from the Columbus community, including students, parents and teachers, presented data from the DoE’s own web site that not only disputed claims that they … Continue reading →

Fight for the Right to Protest on the Mayor’s Block

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 NYC Parents, Students, and Teachers Fight for the Right to Protest on the Mayor’s Block Today, attorneys Norman Siegel and Herbert Teiteleaum filed papers in United States District Court, Southern District, on behalf of a parent, two students and a teacher who are members of The Emergency Coalition to Stop School … Continue reading →

Protest Bloomberg’s School Closings & Charter School Invasions

CITYWIDE PROTEST Jan. 21 – Thurs 4 – 6:30 PM Gather on the Mayor’s Block! 79th St. & 5th Av. Join us in support of the students, parents, teachers and communities of over 22 schools affected by the proposed closings and charter takeovers. o We are picketing Bloomberg’s residence because he is in charge of … Continue reading →

Save Alfred E. Smith High School – A Gateway for Students

Jan. 8, 2010 – Alfred E. Smith High School, Bronx Smith H.S. rallied 100 people to fight against Bloomberg’s attempt to close this invaluable gateway for many Bronx working class students. Students led the chants and pleaded passionately to save Smith and its many vocational programs that provide lifelong careers. Many graduates have earned jobs … Continue reading →

Twitter: A Grassroots Organizing Tool

January 04, 2010 Steward’s Corner: Txt & Tweet 2 Org & Inform Excerpt from the January, 2010 issue of Labor Notes. By Paul Abowd Online social media tools like Twitter are often dismissed as time-wasters for the procrastinator in all of us. But they’re also being harnessed for greater causes. You can use Twitter and … Continue reading →

Save Paul Robeson From DOE Closing

December 15, 2009 – Brooklyn. A special thanks to Adele Pham for this professionally produced video of the Rally to Save Paul Robeson High School from the current DOE Closings hachet-job. Students, teachers, parents and alumni protested to the powerful beats of school drummers. Two teacher-activists (Marjorie Stamberg and Seung Ok) and Councilman Charles Barron … Continue reading →

School Closing and Charter School Protest Photos

Photos of Protests: Jamaica HS PTA President – Dec. 2009 Jamaica HS Students – Dec. 2009 Norman Thomas HS – Dec, 2009 CEC 1 meeting on Girls Prep Charter – Nov. 2009 Maxwell HS Protest: Charles Barron speaks, Michael Mulgrew listens

The Case Against School Closures

For all my anger, I will straight out say, that there is no malicious intent on Mayor Bloomberg’s part nor those of the billionaire boys’ club to propose the closure of community schools for replacement with charter schools. Charter schools and “small schools” are nothing more than a theft of all the talented students of … Continue reading →