By Gabrielle Maraj

By recommending the closing of 21 schools throughout the city both Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein are set on creating a crisis in education. In spite of the poor resources provided to these schools by the Department of Education many of them like mine, Metropolitan Corporate Academy, have been providing sterling services to students. What has the NYC Department of Education done to help these so-called failing schools? Instead of listening to what students and staff need in order to really improve our education, the Chancellor simply finds a quick and easy solution by deciding to close schools. We can’t allow this to happen for it would only further retard our progress.

Parents, students, and teachers of M.C.A. are calling upon the community to come out in large numbers to a public hearing on Thursday January 14 at 6:00 PM at 362 Schemerhorn Street and continue to express strong displeasure with this latest move by the authorities to hurt our community.

The movement to prevent Metropolitan Academy from closing was started on December 14, 2009 when parents, staff, students, alumni, teachers and officials of the United Federation of Teachers rallied and protested against Chancellor Joel Klein’s recommendation to phase out M.C.A in the next three years.

On a mild afternoon to protest, outraged students stepped forth playing guitars and drums while dancing and screaming chants along the blocks of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in downtown Brooklyn. Students kept up the protest for more than an hour as passersby, in buses and cars, after reading our placards and posters, saluted and honked their horns in support. It was truly a scene to behold and participate in. After asking the question "What do you think about M.C.A.’s closing?" a student shouted "SAVE M.C.A!" And another replied, "That's why we're protesting!"

Join us in our fight to keep M.C.A. open by attending the public forum on January 14 at 6:00 PM @ 362 Schemerhorn Street, Brooklyn and write a comment in support of our school and send it to HS.Proposals@schools.nyc.gov
For more info check this web site  http://mcaparents.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network