Parents and Students Won’t Let Schools Close Without a Fight
In the shadow of looming school closures across SFUSD, parents and students are making their voices heard. The testimonies of parents and students whose schools are slated to close are heartbreaking; one family describes how the teachers and staff at Sutro Elementary School helped their son, now in fourth grade, learn to thrive after a rocky start going to kindergarten online during the pandemic. The fourth grader himself, upon hearing the news, asked “What do we have to do [to keep Sutro from closing]?”
These schools are pillars of the communities in which they are located, and closing even one school will have drastic impacts on the affected communities. Some parents mused about enrolling their children in private schools, which would only take more money from the school district and exacerbate problems of inequity. Other parents considered moving out of San Francisco. If we want San Francisco to continue to thrive as one of the best cities in the world, we must not close schools, as it will lead to a slippery slope of parent and family departures from the city and further inequity in the school system.
Jessica Christian / The Chronicle
‘Fight on their hands’: Families to battle SFUSD school closures
By Jill Tucker, Danielle Echeverria, Ko Lyn Cheang | SF Chronicle | October 9th, 2024