Parents, teachers and community leaders said Montefiore Special Elementary School, 1310 S. Ashland Ave., has been a tremendous help to its students and protested Thursday the hint of Chicago Public Schools shutting the doors.
Parents, teachers and community leaders said Montefiore Special Elementary School, 1310 S. Ashland Ave., has been a tremendous help to its students and protested Thursday the hint of Chicago Public Schools shutting the doors. Montefiore, a year-round school for special needs students in fifth through eighth grade, provides behavioral assistance, mental health services and other needs for students who need specialized attention, said Blanche Ivey, president of the school’s Local School Council. To eliminate the school would be a travesty to the students who need it, she said at a news conference Thursday at the school. Ivey said her 7th grade son, Christopher, has excelled since attending Montefiore, something that wouldn’t have happened if she weren’t able to get him into the school. “He had a low reading level and was getting into trouble. But the teachers and staff here care just as much about the students that the parents do, and he’s gotten better. Christopher recently told me that he’s excited about graduating next year and going to high school and then college,” an emotional Ivey said. “We must fight to keep the school open. Monique Bond, spokesperson for CPS told the Defender, “There has been no decision about Montefiore.” The school’s principal, Mary Ann Pollett, said the school, who will start its 80th year of service in September, has been the flagship school of special education and a saving grace for so many of its students. She urged Mayor Richard M. Daley, other city officials and CPS to let the school stay open. “Stop the cuts and support us. Our school has provided the pathway for many students to get the help they need and continue on a positive track, instead of heading to the streets,” Pollett said. For the 2008-2009 school year, Montefiore had 62 students –– 74 percent African-American and 23 percent Hispanic. The City Council’s Education Committee held a public hearing last month about the school’s fate. They are scheduled to hold another hearing on the matter June 15. ______ In photo: Blanche Ivey, president of the Local School Council at Montefiore Special Elementary School, said the school gave her 7th-grade son the attention and motivation he needed to stay out of trouble and focus on his education. Parents and faculty fear the school is on the chopping block by CPS
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