Save Our Schools LAWSUIT Summit & Rally! THURSDAY
Parisa Norouzi
Spread the word!
COME MAKE HISTORY WITH US AS WE STOP DC SCHOOL CLOSURES!
JOIN EMPOWER DC & THE WARD 7 & 8 EDUCATION COUNCILS AT THE:
Save Our Schools Summit
Information Session & Rally building Support for Empower DC’s Lawsuit to STOP the planned closure of
15 DC Public Schools impacting over 2,700 students of color
Thursday, March 14th 2013
6:30-8:30 PM
Temple of Praise – 700 Southern Ave, SE
To Include:
Testimonies from impacted families
Introduction of legal team
Review of the legal strategy
Expressions of Support
Call to action
LAWYERS WILL BE ON HAND TO COLLECT STATEMENTS FROM IMPACTED RESIDENTS!
For more information, to RSVP or request transportation contact:
Daniel del Pielago
Education Organizer
(202) 234-9119 x 104 or Dan...@empowerdc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2013
CONTACT: Daniel del Pielago, (202) 234-9119 x 104, (202) 276-4465 or Parisa Norouzi, (202) 234-9119 x 100, (202) 553-9326
HUNDREDS RALLY FOR LAWSUIT TO HALT SCHOOL CLOSURES
Legal team is Announced, Supporters are Revealed, Impacted Families Speak out
On Thursday, March 14th at 6:30 PM hundreds of DC residents will gather at the Temple of Praise for a rally in support of a lawsuit aimed to stop Mayor Gray’s plan to close 13 DC Public Schools at the end of the school year and another two schools next year.
The lawsuit is the latest effort of the citywide community organizing group Empower DC, an organization known for its work on issues impacting DC’s low and moderate income residents. The organization sees school closures as part of the “displacement equation” that along with the loss of affordable housing is driving its members from the District.
Building on the successful suit brought against the Mayor and Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to halt a polluting charter bus parking lot at the historic Crummell School in the Ivy City community last year, Empower DC has again joined forces with noted civil rights attorney Johnny Barnes, Lead Attorney in the school closures lawsuit. Over the past month, attorney Barnes has assembled an impressive legal team that will be unveiled at the Summit.
"We have seven dedicated and determined attorneys, with varying backgrounds, who will serve as our Legal Team in this effort to block the School Closings Plan," stated Mr. Barnes. "I am proud of the Team we have put together, and, with this Legal Team, I believe we will be able to make a presentation to the Court that will be compelling. We expect this case to make history," concluded Barnes.
The Summit will feature expressions of support from notable local leaders and first-hand testimonies from families impacted by closures. The Temple of Praise warmly agreed to host the Empower DC summit, sharing concerns for schools like Ferebee-Hope Elementary which is in close proximity to the church. A group of parents and students has announced plans to march to the Summit from Ferebee-Hope, where they will be joined by representatives of other impacted schools.
The District has closed 29 DC Public Schools since 2008, starting just after the City Council passed legislation giving ultimate control over the schools to the Mayor, and gutting the powers of the School Board. Yet, the city has not studied the impact of closures nor provided any evidence that they improve, not disrupt, education. Empower DC has called for a five year moratorium on closures during a period of study, with community involvement, to identify impacts on students and communities. The city has also failed to evaluate Mayoral control, despite the enacting legislation calling for annual review. The 2008 closures caused 4,000 students to leave DCPS, and others were moved to schools which now face closure.
“My concern is where we used to live 3 schools that my granddaughter attended closed, Turner, Moten and Wilkerson and when we moved up here (Ferebee-Hope) where she can walk to school once again they are talking about closing it down,” said Ms. Michelle Powell, one of the impacted residents who will attend the Summit.
The most astonishing thing about the DC closures is their disproportionate impact. While public schools in wealthier Ward 3 and Ward 6’s “Capitol Hill Cluster” are enjoying success and investment, students impacted by closures are almost exclusively nonwhite and lower income. The current plan would displace over 2,700 students of which only two are white.
“Residents do not have a right to education in DC,” said attorney Barnes, “but once an education is provided to some, it must be provided to all. The impact of closures is unjust and discriminatory, with the burden falling on those most vulnerable.”
During the program, attorneys will be on hand to interview those impacted by the closure plan. A select group of plaintiffs will be announced on Friday, March 22nd, at a fundraising event for the lawsuit taking place at the Park on 14th, 920 14th St, NW at 5:30 PM.
The Save Our Schools Summit has been cosponsored by the Ward 7 and Ward 8 Education Councils.
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WHO: Empower DC, Ward 7 Education Council, Ward 8 Education Council
WHAT: Save Our Schools Summit - Lawsuit Information Session and Rally
WHEN: Thursday, March 14th, 2013 6:30-8:30 PM
WHERE: Temple of
Praise, 700 Southern Ave, SE
Parisa B. Norouzi
Executive Director
Empower DC
1419 V St, NW
Washington, DC 20009