State control abrogates rights of students and citizens, hasn’t improved schools, and ignores wishes of the community
By Lauren Wells
In the span of one week, two major education protests took place in Newark, one by teachers and another by students.
In the largest, thousands of students walked out of every Newark high school, converging on the steps of City Hall and eventually taking over an intersection, blocking access to the New Jersey Turnpike and other major highways.
These protests, which have escalated over the last two years, are directed at the state’s refusal to return local control to the Newark Public Schools as well as the strategies being used by the state-appointed superintendent to dismantle the Newark Public School District.
As the chief education officer to the mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, I interact daily with parents, educators and students who want more than the broken promises of the state and failed educational strategies.
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