Parents of NTA Elementay Sue CPS for Racial Discrimination in Closing a Top-Performing School
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Contact: Timna Axel, taxel@clccrul.org or 312-888-4194
WHAT: Parents, teachers, and community members announce a lawsuit filed by civil rights attorneys alleging that CPS violated the Illinois Civil Rights Act and the Illinois School Code when the Board of Education approved a plan to close and convert National Teachers Academy (NTA), a top-rated elementary school serving majority low-income students of color.
WHO:
Elisabeth Greer, Concerned Parents of NTA
Anika Matthews, Concerned Parents of NTA
Audrey Johnson, Concerned Parents of NTA
Niketa Brar, Chicago United for Equity (CUE)
Candace Moore, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Ashley Fretthold, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (LAF)
WHERE: In front of NTA at the corner of S State St. and Cermak Rd.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 19 (Juneteenth) at 2:30pm CT
BACKGROUND: On Feb. 28, 2018, the Board of Education approved Chicago Public Schools’ plan to close and convert NTA into a high school - a plan that illegally discriminates against and poses unacceptable risks to its current students.
National Teachers Academy Elementary School (NTA) is a top-performing school that stands at the site of the former Harold Ickes Homes and serves 729 students in pre-K through 8th grade. Around 80 percent of NTA students are Black, and 76 percent are low-income.
On Tuesday, June 19, attorneys with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and LAF filed a lawsuit on behalf of parents and community groups alleging that CPS violated the Illinois Civil Rights Act and the Illinois School Code. Attorneys plan to seek an injunction ordering CPS to reverse its plan.