New Orleans abolishes public schools

Oh, the stupid. It burns.

Several American school districts have used children as pawns in experiments involving the complete privatization of schools - but New Orleans has now become the biggest city to host such a takeover, and it's also the most extensive effort like this yet.

When the upcoming school year starts - which is probably sometime in July, the way things are headed - New Orleans will no longer have public schools. Period. The schools are being replaced by charter schools - which in effect are publicly funded private schools.

There are several serious problems with this. For starts, there's no accountability. And charter schools can and do exclude students. Plus, most teachers in New Orleans are being fired as a result of the switchover. In addition, privatizing an entire school district is unconstitutional - as courts have ruled that children have a right to attend public schools. What if you live in New Orleans and you want your kids to go to a public school? I know public schools have been battered by the right-wing media, which wants to promote private schools instead, but there are many families out there who prefer public schools - urban, suburban, and rural alike. This may surprise media elites, but not everyone wants to conform to the private school mold.

Will New Orleans families who choose public schools be left without schools at all? Imagine going to the local board of education office to enroll your kids and being told there's no public schools for them. Are school officials prepared to pay for transport to another school district?

Meanwhile, some charter schools in New Orleans, Detroit, and Newark are the subject of a federal civil rights complaint, because the schools won't admit blacks. Imagine trying to enroll your kids, and being prevented from it on the basis of race. Why are some charter schools stuck in the Jim Crow era?

I hope folks in New Orleans are insistent on demanding a public education. I know I would be.

(Source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2014/05/30/public-schools-close-its-all-charters-now.html)