Bobb has Detroit police arrest teachers, teen parents. Teen parenting school will become a charter.

madfloridian

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Wed Apr-20-11 12:05 AM
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Bobb has Detroit police arrest teachers, teen parents. Teen parenting school will become a charter.

This is how the Emergency Financial Managers like Robert Bobb work. Quickly and without mercy. He seems to have been given complete power over Detroit's schools, even though a judge say he could not control academics.

He has said that this school for pregnant and parenting teens must be closed and turned into a charter. He has that power now.

From a Daily Kos blog today:

EFM Takeover Of Detroit Schools: Teen Mothers Arrested, Children taken Into Temporary Custody

Approximately a dozen teachers, teen mothers and their children were arrested and taken away by Detroit police while staging a peaceful sit-in protest at the Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit on Friday April 15th. Eight students, along with their children and some faculty members of the Catherine Ferguson Academy of Detroit, MI began the sit-in at the end of the school day in protest to Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb’s announcement to close the school for pregnant and parenting teens. The decision to occupy was made after many other attempts by students, staff and supporters to have their voices heard by EFM Robert Bobb through letter writing and petition campaigns, to no avail.

The protestors were told by police that they were trespassing and the building needed to be closed. The peaceful occupiers refused to leave and many were brought out in handcuffs. It has been reported by local news that “Some struggled, some screamed, all were put in squad cars and hauled away", while many more protestors and supporters outside watched in shock. The students themselves say they did not resist arrest. One told local reporters, "We just stood there and they just arrested us one by one ."

..."On the heels of the shocking announcement last month by Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) Robert Bobb to close up to eight schools and sell up to 45 schools to charter companies, he slated the highly successful and unique Catherine Ferguson Academy for closure. The school, which has been featured in the film Grown In Detroit documenting the school’s urban farm and in O: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine, boasts a 90% graduation rate and 100% college and higher education acceptance upon graduation. The award winning school is specifically for pregnant and parenting teens and their children, offering a wide range of classes and child care. It is the only school of its kind in the nation.

"The school provides pre-natal and parenting classes, and offers high school student mothers the opportunity to finish their high school education immediately after giving birth by providing on-site daycare, early childhood development services, and pre-school for their children, as well as on-site medical, dental and social services, so the young women don't have to miss school to attend appointments. What also makes CFA unique is its organic garden and farm with chickens, goats and a horse, which the students maintain as part of their science education."

More on the arrests from an earlier article:

Protesters Arrested at DPS' Catherine Ferguson Academy

Some struggled, some screamed, all were put in squad cars and hauled away.

"To go in like storm troopers to arrest people who were carrying on a peaceful protest during spring break to preserve their school was just absolutely outrageous," Driver said.

At least a dozen people were arrested, including two moms who had their small kids with them.

Baldwin's three-year-old daughter was there, and she says she would do it all again if it meant saving the school that helped save her.

"I'm glad I took part in this. I'd do it a hundred times more to help the cause," she said.

They were ticketed and let go. There was a DPS spokesperson at the scene. He said that "they understand that a school can mean so much to students, parents and teachers, but that a protest is not the way to go about trying to get your message heard. Instead, they are encouraged to talk to Robert Bobb and show that their school needs to stay open."

Talk to Robert Bobb? Really. They had been trying. I doubt he would listen at all. He is one of the Broad Academy fellows who are famous for not caring for the feelings of teachers. Here is his page at the Broad Institute.

In fact Bobb is the one who walked out of his own town hall meeting when parents started speaking out.

Detroit's Robert Bobb left his own town hall meeting very upset. Cancelled later meeting.

During a contentious meeting interrupted by chants and catcalls Tuesday, students, parents and teachers lambasted a plan to close 14 Detroit schools and convert 45 others to charter schools.-- Detroit News

According to a report I got today from community activists in BAMN, "angry parents, students, teachers, and BAMN civil rights activists left Detroit schools Emergency Manager Robert Bobb stammering, shaking, and fleeing his "town hall" meeting" last night. He also canceled a second meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. this evening at Cody H.S.

In this school teen parents had someone to take care of their kids, and even more. Here is an interesting post in the comment section...seems a real shame to close such a school.

This school has a 90% graduation rate with 100% of graduating students going onto either 2 or 4-year colleges. This school also has a HUGE farm with honey bees, horses, chickens, turkeys and a garden. The only thing people are looking at is the "teen mom" thing. They are defending the only school willing to take care of them AND their children. What is going to happen to these students if the school closes?