Parents, Activists Take To Streets, Rallying Community To Save Schools
By: Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Parents and activists staged a demonstration outside a Philadelphia charter school and a high school slated to close because of budget woes.
Fight for Philly and Action United bused parents and activists to the Planet Abacus Charter School in the Tacony section Thursday to protest taxpayer money going to the school while its founder is under indictment for fraud.
Later, they traveled to Charles Carroll High School in Port Richmond, which is closing because of the Philadelphia School District's budget shortfall.
Parents spoke of being tired of the School Reform Commission turning a deaf ear to their complaints and pleas to keep schools open.
"They're not listening to us so we have to make them hear us, the parents. We've gone there, why aren't they listening?" said one parent.
"It's time for us to stop these public schools from being closed, to be able to fund our public schools," said another parent.
"In September, they will not have no art, no music, no counselor, no assistant principal, no nurse, it's just like basically going to school for nothing," said a concerned parent.
The protesters say they're taking their cry to the streets to rally the community behind their schools.
