Parents, Clergy Urge Lawmakers to Take Action of Education Reforms

Albany NY – More than a dozen parents and members of clergy traveled to the New York State Capitol building in Albany on Wednesday afternoon to urge the passage of bold, structural education reforms to fix statewide failing schools. With nearly 800,000 students failing to read at grade level in New York, members of the clergy on Wednesday spoke of a moral crisis that predominantly trapped Black and Hispanic children in major cities blanketed by persistently failing schools.

With bureaucratic tweaks failing year after year to turn schools around, parents called for bold, structural change that dramatically expands high-quality charter and district school options for parents and their children.

In New York City alone, 96% of the 143,000 students in these failing schools are Black or Hispanic, and 93% come from families near or below the poverty line. In 90 of the city’s schools, not a single Black or a single Hispanic student met proficiency passed state exams.

“Our leaders in Albany need to recognize that it is a moral imperative to end the crisis of failing schools,” said Pastor Samaris Gross. “We came here today because we won’t be ignored–thousands of kids are still trapped in failing schools, waiting for bold action from their state leaders.”