The biggest reason Chicago’s school district says it’s closing 53 grammar schools is to give students a better education. But how “better” is defined has become a point of contention in a heated debate.
It’s obvious when you walk through Lafayette Elementary that music is a big part of the school. Every weekday afternoon, students toting violins, violas and cellos shuffle down the third floor of the building.
A pair of lawsuits filed Wednesday challenge Chicago Public Schools plan to close 53 elementary schools, claiming the proposals disproportionately affect African American children and could irreparably harm students with special needs.
South Side activists approached Jennifer Hudson to help save Yale Elementary from closure. They say the school's garden is integral to larger urban agriculture efforts.
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