By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 8:11 AM
The group of St. Louis Public Schools students that camped out in City Hall for five days last week are on their way to Jefferson City this morning for a meeting with the Commissioner of Education.
When the students meet with Commissioner Kent King they will be pleading with him not to strip the school district of its accreditation status in the middle of the school year. As the students told Pub Def last week, while they oppose a state takeover all together, they say it makes even less sense to do it before the end of the school year — especially because it remains unclear to students what effect the loss of accreditation will have on their post-graduation options.
The students will be staying overnight in Jefferson City in order to attend tomorrow's meeting of the State Board of Education. They will be joined by busloads of stakeholders, including teachers and parents, also opposing the takeover.
Local 420, the teachers' union, is organizing the bus trip, which will start at the union offices, 2710 Hampton Ave., at 6:00 a.m. The riders plan a rally before the meeting and to make known their opposition to a state takeover or transitional school board during the DESE meeting.
"DESE can not continue to ignore the will of the people of St. Louis," said union President Mary Armstrong.
UPDATE: From DESE...
Commissioner of Education D. Kent King will meet today with a delegation of about a dozen students from the St. Louis Public Schools. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss concerns about the potential impact on students if the St. Louis Public Schools are unaccredited by the State Board of Education.
The meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. today in Room 470 of the Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City.
The meeting is closed to news media, current members of the St. Louis Board of Education and other adults. The parties will be available to meet the news media at the conclusion of the meeting.
When the students meet with Commissioner Kent King they will be pleading with him not to strip the school district of its accreditation status in the middle of the school year. As the students told Pub Def last week, while they oppose a state takeover all together, they say it makes even less sense to do it before the end of the school year — especially because it remains unclear to students what effect the loss of accreditation will have on their post-graduation options.
The students will be staying overnight in Jefferson City in order to attend tomorrow's meeting of the State Board of Education. They will be joined by busloads of stakeholders, including teachers and parents, also opposing the takeover.
Local 420, the teachers' union, is organizing the bus trip, which will start at the union offices, 2710 Hampton Ave., at 6:00 a.m. The riders plan a rally before the meeting and to make known their opposition to a state takeover or transitional school board during the DESE meeting.
"DESE can not continue to ignore the will of the people of St. Louis," said union President Mary Armstrong.
UPDATE: From DESE...
Commissioner of Education D. Kent King will meet today with a delegation of about a dozen students from the St. Louis Public Schools. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss concerns about the potential impact on students if the St. Louis Public Schools are unaccredited by the State Board of Education.
The meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. today in Room 470 of the Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City.
The meeting is closed to news media, current members of the St. Louis Board of Education and other adults. The parties will be available to meet the news media at the conclusion of the meeting.
Labels: Schools
5 Comments:
Does anyone think it is inappropriate for a Teachers Union to be involved with a student protest?
3/21/2007 8:46 AM
Godspeed to all in your efforts to force this "democratic republic" to be what it is supposed to be. People will tell you it will do no good, but consider this: doing NOTHING will CERTAINLY do no good, and in time to come, YOU will know that you did ALL TO STAND. STAND THEREFORE, GIRDED WITH TRUTH, AND KEEP THE GOSPEL OF PEACE ON YOUR FEET. And if they will not listen to you, shake the dust of them off of you and all of us by returning and working to unseat them from office. Your youth, strength and passion are the fire that will light hope in the deceived and complacent masses who have all but let freedom slip through the fingers of liberty.
3/21/2007 8:50 AM
For the record, the teachers union had this bus trip planned some time ago, even before the student protest. If parents and students want to be part of it, that is their right. All it shows is that there are a lot of people from different perspectives who take this issue very seriously. Much more seriously than our vacationing mayor.
3/21/2007 8:55 AM
Ok folks, a little off topic here, but what do any of you know about the KSDK ad saying that they have info on SLPS district officials taking an all expense paid trip to the left coast?
3/21/2007 7:06 PM
they met 6 hours ago? anything?
3/21/2007 7:17 PM
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