Abbott Elementary School Principal Carol Hardin will meet Thursday with parents to give them more details about last week’s announcement to consolidate the school this fall with another South Side school.
Abbott Elementary School Principal Carol Hardin will meet Thursday with parents to give them more details about last week’s announcement to consolidate the school this fall with another South Side school. “I want parents to be fully aware of what is taking place here and what their options are at this point,” Hardin told the Defender. “I do not agree with the decision to consolidate our school, and I am sure many parents are also against the proposal.” A closed door meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. today at Abbott, 3630 S. Wells St. A public hearing will be held regarding Abbott Jan. 31 at a 9 a.m. school board meeting at Chicago Public Schools headquarters, 125 S. Clark St. On Friday, Arne Duncan, former head of CPS, held his final news conference before joining President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. as the new Secretary of Education. Duncan announced that Abbott would be consolidated with Hendricks Elementary School, 4316 S. Princeton Ave., even though there are at least two other schools closer to Abbott such as McClellan Elementary, 3527 S. Wallace St. And four other schools would also be consolidated this fall as part of a new proposal by CPS. Michael Vaughn, CPS press secretary, said the public schools administration would work with parents who would rather transfer their child to other neighboring schools, like McClellan. Hardin added that she wants all parents to attend today so they can get the correct information firsthand. “There are rumors floating around about the school that are not true, so I felt it was important to address the parents personally and see if I can answer any questions they might have,” she said. Abbott Elementary is named after Robert Sengstacke Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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