AGAINST SCHOOL DESTABILIZATION AND SEGREGATION ACTIONS

WHEREAS, school actions such as closings, turnarounds and co-locations destabilize communities, alienate youth from the adults they trust, and increase urban violence; and

WHEREAS, these school actions displace educators with strong ties to students and the community; deprive neighborhood schools of much needed resources; and demoralize students, teachers and families; and

WHEREAS, these school actions typically disproportionately affect students of color, students from economically disadvantaged communities and educators of color; and

WHEREAS, these school actions do not lead to sustained, research-based school improvement once turnaround funds are depleted; and

WHEREAS, these school actions discriminatorily push students into charters, lowering enrollment and paving the way for school closures due to “underutilization” and “underperformance”; and

WHEREAS, changes in academic focus can create a form of selective schools that disproportionately place low-performing students into local neighborhood schools, thereby pulling higher-performing students out of neighborhood schools, ultimately increasing racial and socioeconomic segregation, and further exacerbating the disparities between schools and widening the achievement gap; and

WHEREAS, the AFT believes with strength and conviction that not only do these ill-conceived school actions run contrary to the vision, mission and value of a free public education for all, but also place profit over people and will constitute a gross misuse of taxpayer money:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers opposes and will vigorously resist the transfer of public school assets to private interests as this leads to increased and unnecessary destabilization, segregation and the creation of a two-tiered public school system: one for the rich and one for the poor; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will unconditionally and unanimously oppose any and all school closings, turnarounds, co-locations and restarts that harm students and eliminate members; and that remove or privatize career technical education, physical education and art programs; and any other action that diminishes the respect and educational curriculum that all communities deserve.