A Message From Education Action: Toronto

May 21, 2013

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, you received a flyer from the Queen's Plate Parents and Community asking you to support their protest at the TDSB on June 23 and their demand to return their children to their neighbourhood school -- after ten years of being cut off from their children's education. In the letter below, in which the Queen's Plate flyer is attached again, Janet Boiji links their struggle with the broader city-wide struggle to save our neighbourhood schools, which is also coming to a head on with a demonstration at the Board on June 23. She asks us to join hands in a common cause. "Let June 23rd," she writes, and we agree, "be the day we all reclaim our neighbourhood schools."

In solidarity,

George Martell and Faduma Mohamed
Co-chairs, Education Action: Toronto

Be at the Toronto District School Board
5050 Yonge Street (just south of Mel Lastman Square and the North York Centre Subway)
at 6:00 pm, Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

From: "Janet Bojti" <janet.bojti@cupe4400.org>
Date: May 20, 2010 1:29:01 PM GMT-04:00
Subject: June 23rd demonstration

Hello Everyone:

I couldn't help but notice that in choosing June 23rd as their date for a demonstration at 5050 Yonge, the Somali parents at Queen's Plate Dr. will be descending on the TDSB on the very day that the trustees are scheduled to cast their votes to close 9 Toronto schools. This is too ironic.

The parents in those three apartment buildings in Rexdale understand perfectly well what it means to lose a neighbourhood school although they were never "ARCed." Last December these parents stormed a Planning and Priorities committee meeting at the TDSB head office at 5050 Yonge to demand the return of their school. Their story was reported in the Star (attached.) TDSB officials promised to meet with them and come up with a solution but it was a ruse to get them to leave quietly. Well, they're coming back.

The Rexdale Somali parents and those of us fighting school closings in 9 schools have common cause. Briar Hill Jr. P.S., Kent Sr. P.S., Silverthorn Jr. P.S., Pringdale Gardens Jr. P.S., McCowan Rd. P.S., Heron Park Jr. P.S., Peter Secors Jr P.S. and Brooks Rd. Jr P.S are all attended by kids belonging to immigrant and low income families. By far the majority of the schools the TDSB has selected to close are located in Toronto's poorer communities. Let June 23rd be the day we all reclaim our neighbourhood schools.

In Solidarity,
Janet Bojti

Click HERE to download the Toronto Star article, " School too far, too 'scary' ".
Click HERE to download the Queen's Plate flyer.

 


This email was sent by Education Action: Toronto
1698 Gerrard St. East,
Toronto, On. M4L 2B2