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Health & Fitness

Press Conference Thursday Evening from 5:45 to 6:45 about DOE use of 355 Park Place

A press conference with Councilwoman Tish James and local activists is planned for Thursday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at 355 Park Place, followed by a community meeting at Duryea Church.

 

NEIGHBORS: PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN  HOUR THURSDAY EVENING!

5:45 to 6:45 PM.  

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at Mount Prospect Laboratory on Park Place corner Underhill Ave on August 2, 2012 (Editor's Note: this event was postponed from July 26 due to predictions of thunderstorms)

 

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AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE DOE USE OF 355 PARK PLACE 

with city council member  Letitia James

Despite expressions of concern by community groups, repeated requests and a series of meetings, no documentation has been provided by the Department of Education (DOE) about a proposal to site two Alternative Learning Centers (ALCs) for suspended high school students  in that building.   We worry about the inadequacies of the facility, the punitive rather than educative tone of security procedures and the need for accountability to members of Community Board 8 Education Committee, District 13 Community Education Council and the Park Place Underhill Avenue Block Associatio and neighbors.  

The DOE will need to provide handicapped accessibility, to mitigate regular flooding during heavy rains and to provide enough space for instruction and the amenities necessary for a healthy learning environment – cafeteria, science lab, library and adequate classroom space.  We are asking to see the ‘footprint’ of the building, exact measurements of each room, as well as the schemata of how the rooms will be used.   Accountability runs in various directions. 

Research published by the NYCLU concludes that program should not depend on militarized security and should include restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation training for the young people.   They can return with a skill set that offers them alternative behaviors to those which contributed to  problems for which they have been excluded from  regular assigned schools.

As neighbors and activists, we are resolute in our determination to be involved with the creation and the implementation of education policy that impacts on our children, our neighborhood, and our future.  

 

SPEAK OUT/ MEETING AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE

at Duryea Church,  entrance on Sterling Place near  Underhill from 7 to 8:30 p.m.   Share experiences, information and suggestions.   Comments, questions and concerns of from 3 to 5 minutes will be invited from each participant. 

 

More information contact

ppuaba@gmail.com   or  718 636 9089

Susan Metz for the Park Place Underhill Avenue Block Association

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