Families Occupy Lafayette Elementary School To Fight First Wave of Closures
By aaroncynic in News on Jun 20, 2013 7:20PM
As the first wave of schools on the list of more than 50 total prepared to shut their doors for the final time, parents, students and community members at one elementary school made one final attempt to keep their school open. After the final bell rung at Lafayette Elementary yesterday, just under a dozen people occupied the building while more than 50 supporters gathered outside to block the doors. Lafayette Elementary is one of 28 schools which held their last classes yesterday.
“Closing Lafayette will kill our neighborhood and our families,” said Rosemary Vega, one of the 9 individuals who occupied a classroom inside the school and parent of two students. “We demand that this school stay open. We demand to keep our music programs, and our special ed program.” Vega was also part of a demonstration that took place the day prior where people collected toilet paper in front of Chase Auditorium in the evening as CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett was speaking. There, demonstrators picketed the plaza while collecting toilet paper to highlight the fact that even the schools which will remain open will still have to make tough budget choices for even the most basic needs.
After the demonstration at Lafayette began, CEO Bennett issued a statement saying:
"We know this is a difficult time for some parents and students. We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure every child in every neighborhood has access to the high quality education they deserve and that they have a smooth transition to their welcoming school. As we end this school year, it is time for us as a city to begin the work of creating a deep and lasting change in our schools to ensure our children are on a path to a bright future."
At 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, police escorted the two tearful families out of the building to a crowd of supporters. Nidalis Burgos, a 15 year old Lincoln Park High School student who took to updating Twitter from inside the building told the Sun Times “I took it as my responsibility to fight for the other students so they could have a chance as well.” Rousemary Vega said “This is not over. If it is not this school today. It will be another. This is just the beginning of what we can do and what we must do.”