Protest Rahm's House

MEDIA ADVISORY

  

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               

Oct. 6, 2016

 

CONTACT:  Priya Shah, 312-493-2092

 

Parents take fight to save their school to mayor's own backyard

 

NTA parents, teachers want Emanuel to back down from plans to close their successful elementary school,

consider other plans for South Loop high school

 

CHICAGO—After the mayor’s office refused to meet with parents from National Teachers Academy (NTA), the NTA community will take its fight to save the school to the mayor’s own backyard with a protest and rally in front of Emanuel’s Ravenswood home on Monday.

 

The mayor wants to close the school, which serves predominantly low-income, African-American students, and convert it into a high school to serve the booming, pricey South Loop neighborhood. But parents, teachers and staff at NTA are fighting to keep the elementary school open and demanding a meeting with Emanuel to discuss other high school alternatives for the South Loop.

 

Parents will meet outside of the mayor’s Ravenswood home on Monday to deliver a letter to the mayor and make their voices heard. Although recently released emails show Emanuel devised the school closing plan to satisfy South Loop real estate interests, he has so far refused to meet with NTA parents.

 

What: NTA is Here to Stay Parent Rally and Press Conference

When:  Monday, Oct. 9, 4 p.m.

Where: Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home, 4228 N. Hermitage

Why: Mayor Emanuel is pushing to close NTA and turn it into a high school to serve the booming South Loop. Parents are fighting to save their beloved, high-performing school and are demanding a meeting with the mayor to make their case. 

Visuals: Parents, teachers, students with signs and banners marching and chanting through the mayor’s tony north side neighborhood.

 

The NTA closing is the first of a series of school closings aimed at predominately African American schools. The mayor also wants to close four Englewood high schools and the announcement of other school closings is expected in December.

 

The NTA community has said a resounding “NO” to the closing, with 1,500 signatures on petitions opposing the plan, 471 letters sent to state legislators, and 43 parent testimonials before the CPS Board of Education.

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About National Teachers Academy

National Teachers Academy (NTA), is a Level 1 elementary school with a "well-organized" school culture. NTA is one of only 16 elementary schools in CPS that serves a 80% African-American population at or above these distinctions of quality. NTA was established in 2002 as a community center and school for residents of the Ickes Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) development. Residents have continued to send their children to NTA after the Ickes were torn down during the CHA Transformation.