CPS Boycott Underway

By Margaret Lyons in News on Sep 2, 2008 5:31PM

State Senator Reverend Jame Meeks's controversial school boycott is underway today, with should-be CPS students bussed to New Trier Township High School and Sunset Ridge School. Protest organizers were hoping to have 3,000 students participate in the boycott, intended to highlight the funding disparities between CPS students and their wealthy suburban counterparts. According to WBBM, the actual turnout is more in the hundreds than the thousands.

Mayor Daley and CPS chief Arne Duncan aggressively denounced Meeks's plan, but Meeks seems unfazed.

"I think that people have good will in Winnetka," Meeks said, "and if I knew that the children in Chicago did not have the same chance as my child had, I would at least fight for children everywhere in the state to have the same chance. Now, I might not want them in my school sitting next to my child, but I do think the people of Winnetka want each child in the state to have an equal chance."

Today's the first day of school for most CPS students, but Winnetka classes have been in session since August 21. (Jaysus, that seems early. My high school goes back to classes tomorrow.) [WBBM, Trib, S-T]