(ABC Local, 2/18/2012) - Watch Video - School protest halted after board agrees to meet

February 18, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The school building now quiet after parents staging a sit-in ended their protest. They say that although they recognize that CPS may still go ahead with their turnaround plan, the parents say they did achieve their goal of a moral victory, and the sit-in is over.

"This was our last resort and we did not want history to repeat itself," said protest spokesperson Cecilia Carrol. "With an arbitrary vote on the fourth Wednesday of every February that lacks community input and fair just process."

At least a dozen parents and others ended their protest after having their demand to meet with a school board member met.

The protest began Friday, and continued Saturday as the community railed against the Chicago Public School plan to slate Brian Piccolo Elementary School for turnaround.

"Piccolo has actually failed students year after year and we're seeing them consistently fall in the bottom five percent of the district."

"The parents have spoken in this school," said Christine Mayle of the Chicago Teachers' Union. "They polled the parents and 90 percent of them said they didn't support this turnaround idea. The mayor is always talking about school choice. These parents have chosen and this is not what they want."

The school has been on academic probation for the past five years, but protesters say neither turnaround nor a takeover by the academic urban school leadership is the answer.

"We already did a turnaround when C.P.S. appointed our principal here in July," said local school council member Latrice Watckins. "Ever since she has been here, she has been doing excellent things."

"I think it's important for them to have some stability, at least with school, if they're not getting it anywhere else," said Nancy Barraza Piccolo Specialty School teachers' aide.

The turnaround plan could lead to the school being closed and the staff fired, or it would be run by a private non-profit.

That was met with opposition from teachers and students

"It makes me mad because if the other teachers come here and try to take the other teacher's place and they don't even know us and try to fix it, it won't feel right," said student Erinae Barnes.

Parents plan to meet with school board officials Monday in advance of the board's Tuesday meeting where the school's fate will be finalized.
 

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By ABC7's Diane Pathieu

Watch Video - Chicago Parents Occupy School to Protest "Turnaround"

February 18, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- As many as 100 parents, students and activists are camping out at an elementary school on the city's West Side in an attempt to get the mayor's attention and prevent the school from being overhauled.

The group is waking up inside the halls of Brian Piccolo Elementary School. They're protesting plans to "turnaround" the school, which, if approved, would lead to teachers and staff being replaced.

"We want to hear from the mayor," said Latoya Wells, a parent of a Piccolo student. "Hear us. We are taxpayers. We have a right. We have a say so. These are our kids."

"I disagree (with) what CPS says," said seventh-grader Larry Davis. "They're not failing us. It takes a process to fail a child."

Piccolo has been on academic probation for the last five years and in a statement, CPS said, "We need to make difficult, but necessary, decisions to boost student achievement throughout the district and put their needs before all else."

The protestors, who call themselves part of the "Piccolo Occupation, " want a meeting with the mayor and school board members to plead their case. "They are spending a lot of money to try to turn these schools around, but the data on school turnarounds does not show that there is any increase in scores," said teacher Nate Rasmussen. "The data is, you know, spotty, at best."

Read More Coverage:

Telemundo: “No necesitamos que experimenten con nuestros hijos”

Chicago Sun Times: Parents occupy school, demand to talk with Rahm