David Starr Jordan High School sits smack within one of America’s best known ghettos—Watts. In the past, most of its students have consistently performed on par with the ambience of their surroundings.

Accusing the Los Angeles Unified School District of destabilizing their school, parents, students, teachers and community stakeholders at Crenshaw High have joined a national coalition of activists from 18 cities across the nation to take their case to the United States Department of Education and Congress.

Standing behind their stated goal of improving the academic outcomes of students at Crenshaw High School, the Los Angeles Board of Education Tuesday voted to transform the South Los Angeles high school into three individual magnet schools.

The decision was made despite pleas from parents, students and community stakeholders who trekked to the school board to voice their concern that changing Crenshaw’s structure would actually be harmful rather than helpful.

While about 100 parents, community stakeholders and school officials spent Saturday and Monday vetting plans to operate three Los Angeles Unified School campuses as part of the Public School Choice program, the next step in the process to select new operators will depend on how members of United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) vote on a proposed agreement.
 

Parents, students, teachers and other interested stakeholders in the communities surrounding Dorsey and Los Angeles high schools and 42nd Street Elementary School are being invited to attend a special academy where they will review and provide feedback on the plans submitted to operate these Los Angeles Unified School District school under the Public School Choice programs.

The academy for 42nd Street Elementary will be held Monday from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the school, 4231 Fourth Ave., L.A., in the Parent Center Room 25.