P.S./I.S. 72 says:

"Rain, hail, lightning, thunder
72 won't go under."

 

The PS/IS 72 community in East New York, Brooklyn is on the move. A large crowd gathered in sub-freezing temperatures on Friday, February 6 for a spirited rally and march to protest the decision to close their school.

 

Speakers condemned the destruction of the well-functioning school and declared that Chancellor Klein was "unqualified" to be their judge. Parent leaders are outraged by the erratic series of evaluations that have run from a "school in good standing" in 2007 to a grade D in 2008.

City Council member Charles Barron declared his support for the school community and urged them to continue their fight "through the spring and into the summer." He called the bad decisionmaking around PS/IS 72 another sign of the failings of mayoral control.

Many of the handmade signs showed the same concern: the NYC DOE withheld crucial support and yet feels qualified to judge the school from on high. Students and teachers have struggled without a library, computer labs or afterschool programs.

The DOE has decided to end 72's K-3 program in June 2009 and will bring replacement elementary and intermediate schools into the building. Parents suspect these may be selective charter schools.

 

Protests will also be continuing in the coming weeks to confront school closings at Brandeis High School in Manhattan and MS 399 in the Bronx.

We surely haven't heard the last of PS/IS 72!

[Click on the photos for a larger view.]