Choir Academy Closing Meeting Reports

Report from Choir Academy

You may wish to know that Choir had a large rally outside of the school made up of staff, students and parents opposing the closing.

At the public hearing last night a staff member interrupted John White to challenge the announcement that no one could yield their time to anyone else.

John White ignored him. The staff member continued to challenge him from the audience and the entire auditorium erupted in a loud chorus of "let him speak!"

This shut the entire hearing down for 15-20 minutes while the staff member and John White got into each other's faces.

Finally, John White had to agree to take the question from the member.

City Councilwoman Inez Dickens sent a representative who read a letter she had sent to Joel Klein opposing the closing of Choir, challenging the "statistics" that the DOE uses as being dubious at best and perhaps fraudulent.

Also, Choir has had 5 principals in the past 6 years.

A teacher from another school there to show support:

Went to the meeting to protest the closing of Harlem Choir Academy last night. Chris Petrillo was there- speaking to the student body to form an alliance with them as well as the schools he has gone to. He is truly an amazing young man!

Once again- JOHN WHITE was caught on his blackberry in the middle of the meeting and repeatedly went back to it even after the crowd pointed it out and demanded he put it away. He never once commented or apologized for his inappropriate and disrespectful actions! He should be ashamed of himself- it should be noted as part of public record that these meetings are a sham- the DOE has no intention of hearing anything these communities have to say- just going through the motions so they can claim they did it and then do what they want to do- shut these schools down and give the space to charter schools with the ultimate goal of destroying our public education system, destroying our unions- you see they are now going after the School safety officers and trying to get them out from under NYPD so they too can be privatized!!! Who is next???? Cafeteria workers, custodial workers, secretaries- everyone who works in the system will be out of jobs and the whole process will be privatized!!! Why can't the citizens of this great city see this???? When will we see the masses rise up and speak out??? Why not lay down in the middle of streets- students, parents, educators- EVERYONE- and shut down traffic- (Bloomberg might actually pay attention since he has a specific attachment to traffic flow problems). Call the FOREIGN PRESS- our press could care less- call the foreign press in - they would love to carry it and let's embarrass the current administration and shame them into stopping this onslaught- this attack on our children, our communities, our society as we know it! Now that would be a Rally!!!!!!!!