THE NORTH LAWNDALE FREE 1211 S. Western, Suite 203 COMMUNITY NEWS Chicago, IL 60608 Since 1999, More News, More of Your Issues, and More of Your Community Voices and Faces. Serving North Lawndale, East & West Garfield, Austin, Pilsen, Humboldt Park, Near Westside & South Lawndale PUBLISHER : STRATEGIC HUMAN SERVICES VOLUME NO. 12 - ISSUE NO. 10 ISSN 1548-6087 March 18- March 24, 2010 PROVIDING INFORMATION ON RESOURCES AND EVENTS THAT IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY POWER-PAC Ask Parents to Help Them Give CPS Discipline Nicholas Short INSIDE Fed up with the methods participant with the guide, urging Chicago’s Public schools use to them to use it to their advantage. The THIS ISSUE discipline their children, citing them guide introduced ideas and solutions as too harsh, parents and members that parents can use to combat OLY EMPLE of POWER-PAC decided to come the CPS method of punishment: H T up with a few solutions of their own. suspensions, expulsions and arrests. POWER-PAC, which stands for Among its ideas are POWER-PAC’s COMMUNITY Parents Organized to Win, Educate Recommendations: and Renew-Policy Action Council, 1. End out-of-school suspensions. CHURCH OF GOD held a training session at Power 2. Reinstate recess and breaks in House Charter School on Tuesday the school day. PAGE - 4 evening on March 16 to help parents 3. Implement prevention programs. discover what they can do to stop 4. Provide training on discipline Chicago Public Schools from sending policies. WESTSIDER its students on a road that leads to 5. Parents need to be involved in prison. oversight and accountability. FACING POWER-PAC is a citywide Participants listened to POWER- organization uniting low-income, PAC members, parents and students ECKLES immigrant and working families who spoke about how CPS is setting R to help ensure that children are students up to fail by using extreme receiving the guidance and education punishments that will prevent them Power - Pac’s Parent-to-Parent Training on Restorative Justice in Chicago HOMICIDE they need—conversed with parents at from attending class and discourage Public Schools. They also distributed their new guide for parents (on table) the session about the discipline code them from learning. One speaker each other and express their opinions were more participation from parents, CHARGES of Chicago’s schools. Parents were said, “If young people are fighting in about what schools and parents need reestablishing recess and improving allowed to share knowledge, stories, school, if young people are not going to do. One tactic that was used is gym classes for students, and holding PAGE - 4 and ideas that will prevent CPS from to school, if you’re trying to figure when participants were asked to more community meetings. The using zero tolerance punishments why a young person cussed out a break up into groups to develop suggestions of each group were that are more harmful than helpful to teacher, I would suggest that [you helpful suggestions. announced to everyone. their youth. not] just ask that young person ‘why One group, led by one of the One parents were very happy WORD UP The foundation for the event did you do it.’ Why don’t we ask that helpers for the event, Kellie Magnuson with the event, saying that the session was the Parent-to-Parent Guide: teacher ‘what happened?’ Why don’t (an organizer for POWER-PAC), was a “very, very, very positive” COMMON SENSE Restorative Justice in Chicago Public we find out not just what happened was told to provide suggestions as to experience. POWER-PAC’s next Schools, a booklet that promoted but what do people need?” what the schools should do to prevent meeting will be held on Friday, April AIN’T SO restorative justice—which involved But Lynn Morton, a POWER- disruption among students. Each 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the avoiding punitive methods and PAC leader who led the event, did not group member shouted out their UNITE Union Hall, 333 S. Ashland COMMON offering misbehaving students a want participants to just sit and listen. suggestions as they Magnuson wrote Ave. For a copy of the guide call chance to repair the harm he or she She and a few helpers attempted to them on a small board for everyone COFI (community Organizing and PAGE - 5 caused. POWER-PAC provided each help participants build a bond with to see. Three of the main suggestions family Issues at 312 226-5141. PADEREWSKI SCHOOL ESCAPES CONSOLIDATION BY CPS Nicholas Short Roswell B. Mason Elementary years. Pope disapproved of CPS’s the list. “I want you to take all of School, 4217 West 18th St., as methods and suggested a different them off the list and put together a the designated receiving school. tactic. “Every school needs to be program that’s going to invite the This led to concerns that the two looked at on a case-by-case basis,” community of parents to work on schools, which are 12 blocks away he said. a plan to make it better in the city from each other, would force “I think we need to dig a little bit of Chicago,” she said. “The board Paderewski students to travel more and a little deeper to find out has a history of listening to parents, far distances through street gang why are the schools where they are but not doing what they ask.” areas. But during a CPS hearing on and approach it from that vantage She urges them to “be bold” February 5 at the board office, CPS point as opposed to just looking and do the right thing. “The law decided to cancel the consolidation at the empirical data and just says that you all need to come up for the safety of Paderewski’s cutting it. There’s got to be another with a plan for these schools. It’s students. solution to the educating of our not the school’s fault that they fail. “The board had proposed to children other than just disrupting It’s not the LSC’s fault. It’s you Paderewski Elementary School Richard M. Daley in 2004 as a consolidate the school with Mason even their social lives, to move all’s fault.” was saved, but some of the other strategy to create new schools school,” said Paderewski School from their environment into a • Though some schools were public schools in Chicago were in underserved communities, Principal Dr. Jo Ann Roberts, “but completely different environment, erased from CPS’s list, due in not so lucky. turnaround underperforming they’re not going to do that after having them be in jeopardy as it part to the protests, the board For several weeks parents, schools, and eliminate we had a hearing and they saw relates to crossing gang lines and will continue with their plans. teachers, and Local School Council overcrowding classrooms in rapidly the dangerous passage that the so forth,” he said. A CPS press release revealed on (LSC) members protested a series growing neighborhoods. But many children would have to go through, Pope was not the only one the same day as the meeting that of proposed actions made by believe that the program is not mainly the intersection at Ogden, who felt this way. About 500 it will close Bartholome De Las Chicago Public Schools officials working. Protesters conducted Pulaski, and Cermak, which is people attended a board meeting Casas Occupational High School, on January 19. The actions were vigorous demonstrations and way dangerous for the children on February 24, from 10:30 am to consolidate Helen J. McCorkle created to “to improve educational expressed their disapproval at CPS to walk through.” She does not 1 pm, to lend their support to the Elementary School into Ludwig opportunities for students at low- hearings for weeks after the board know what the board’s plans are to schools that were still on CPS’s Van Beethoven Elementary performing schools and create announced their proposal. increase the number of students at list. Wanda Hopkins of the Parents School, and phase out George operational efficiencies” according The protests helped persuade Paderewski Elementary. United for Responsible Education Schneider Elementary School. to a press release made by the CPS the board to reduce the number Working with the LSC with (PURE), was one of many speakers They will also turn around the Board. of schools that CPS has targeted. respect to gathering information who confronted the school board, following schools: George W. CPS proposed to turnaround Ignance Paderewski Elementary for the issue, Pastor David M. strongly expressing their distain Curtis Elementary School, Charles five schools, close four schools, School, 2221 S Lawndale Ave., Pope from the Brotherly Love towards CPS’s actions. S. Deneen Elementary School, consolidate four schools, and phase was among the schools that Missionary Baptist Church did She began by thanking the board Myra Bradwell Elementary School, out one school. The proposals were saved. Because of low what he could to help Paderewski for the schools they have taken off Wendell Phillips High School, and were a part of Renaissance 2010, student enrollment, CPS planned School. His church adopted the their list, but then stated that all of John Marshall High School. a program launched by Mayor to consolidate the school with school and has worked with it for the schools should be yanked from Visit us on our website at www.nlcn.org for more articles, photos, information and more. Page 2 The North Lawndale Community News March 18 - March 24, 2010 North Lawndale Community News The North Lawndale Winner of the 2005 SBC Beyond the Call Award Community News North Lawndale Community News The North Lawndale Community News is now published Winner of the 7th Congressional District 2004 weekly by Strategic Human Services.