CONCERNED COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO TOOK A STAND TODAY AGAINST WHAT THEY CALL THE “PRISON-LIKE DISCIPLINARY CODE” AT A LOCAL SCHOOL. AS AN ACT OF PROTEST, SOME PARENTS ARE REMOVING THEIR KIDS FROM THE SCHOOL … AND AS WDSU ANCHOR LATONYA NORTON EXPLAINS… THEY’RE TAKING THE CHILDREN’S EDUCATION INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. “Enough is enough.” STANDING AT THE GATE OF SCI- ACADEMY AND GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER PREPARATORY ACADEMY ON READ BLVD IN NEW ORLEANS EAST. PARENTS, TEENS, AND ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WHAT THEY CALL “OPPRESSIVE CONDITIONS” AT THE CHARTER SCHOOLS. “after having 4 surgeries on his right foot he was reprimanded for not being able to walk in a straight line.” COMPLAINTS RANGED FROM MASS SUSPENSIONS … “They would just call and say we’re suspending him and we’re going to send him home on a public RTA and give him a bus token.” TO THE GRADING SYSTEM… “at Carver Collegiate a 65 is a C… Which means you’re preparing my child to fail.” AND MORE… “not being able to go to the bathroom and when we say that they’re not being able to go to the bathroom. I’m assuming that people think they can go once a day. No they’re going from sometimes 7 to 4 in the afternoon.” THE LATEST IN A HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS AND PROTESTS AT THE SCHOOL… BACK IN SEPTEMBER… PARENTS HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS … AND SINCE NOVEMBER …. 150 STUDENTS WALKED OUT… “We would like to encourage parents to take the education of their children into their own hands.” THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SUPPORT TEAM.. OR PEST … IS FORMING A NEW SCHOOL… FOR PARENTS LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE… ‘if they don’t understand what the teacher tells them, you should ask what are trying to say. I don’t understand you. Could you explain that anyway? they can’t do that here.” “There’s nothing wrong with structure, but people have to understand there’s a distinction between discipline and oppression.” “and liberation school is a homeschool place accepting students following the holiday break on January 6 at a local church. On Your Side, in New Orleans East, LN, WDSU News.” IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT A SPOKESPERSON FOR COLLEGIATE ACADEMIES SAYS THE CLAIMS ARE INACCURATE AND THAT IN A RECENT SURVEY, 93 PERCENT OF PARENTS REPORTED BEING SATISFIED WITH THEIR EXPERIENCE AT THE SCHOOL. NEW ORLEANS POLICE ARE LOOKING
By
LaTonya Norton | Originally Published at
WDSU Television. December 17, 2013
NEW ORLEANS —Parents were among many concerned community leaders who took a stand Tuesday against what they call the “prison-like disciplinary code” at a local school.
Standing at the gates of Sci-Academy and George Washington Carver Preparatory Academy in New Orleans East, parents, teens and activists spoke out against the “oppressive conditions” at the charter school.
As an act of protest, some parents are removing their children from the schools, taking their kids’ education into their own hands.
“After having four surgeries on his right foot, he was reprimanded for not being able to walk in a straight line,” said parent Rowena Robinson about her son.
Complaints have been leveled about everything from mass suspensions to the grading system.
“They would just call and say, ‘We’re suspending him and we’re going to send him home on a public RTA and give him a bus token,'” said parent Darlene Scott.
“At Carver Collegiate, a 65 is a C, which means you’re preparing my child to fail,” Scott said about the grading system.
“They’re not being able to go to the bathroom. And when we say that they’re not being able to go to the bathroom, I’m assuming people think, ‘Well, maybe they’re able to go once a day.’ No. They’re going (without a bathroom break) sometimes from 7 until 4 in the afternoon,” Scott said.
These are the latest in a history of complaints and protests.
Since November, 150 students have walked out.
A group calling itself the Public Education Support Team is forming a new school called Liberation Academy for parents looking for an alternative.
“If they don’t understand what the teacher tells them, you should ask, ‘What are they trying to say? I don’t understand you. Could you explain that anyway?’ They can’t do that here,” said parent Malcolm Suber.
“There’s nothing wrong with structure, but people have to understand there’s a distinction between discipline and oppression,” Suber said.
Liberation Academy is a home-schooling operation that will begin accepting students after Jan. 6.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for Collegiate Academies, which runs the school, said the claims against the schools are inaccurate, and that in a recent survey, 93 percent of parents reported being satisfied with their experience at the school.
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