More than 100 high school students walked out of classes Wednesday morning. April 3, to protest Inglewood Unified School District’s planned closure of Morningside High and four other schools.
The students gathered in the school’s parking lot, carrying signs criticizing the school district’s plan and accusing decisionmakers of selling out to capitalize on Inglewood’s stratospheric property values. Morningside High School is in a highly valuable location, sitting approximately two blocks from the Clippers’ new $2 billion arena, the Intuit Dome, and the $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium property.
“Save our school,” the students chanted.
Posters created by the students called out the disparity between the multibillion-dollar investments occurring blocks away and the financially strapped district’s shuttering of six schools in the past two years.
“More schools, less stadiums,” one sign read.
“MHS is not 4 sale,” said another.
Evelyn Perez, 18, and other students said they participated in the walkout because the district did not include them in the process. The students are demanding a meeting with the county’s appointed administrator, James Morris, but so far, the district has not responded to their efforts, according to Perez.
“This is all gentrification,” she said. “They’re just going to turn it into luxury apartments or parking.”
“We believe the community should be the ones to make this decision,” Perez added.
School officials warned the students they’d face repercussions if they left the campus grounds, according to multiple students. A security officer initially barred media representatives from coming onto the property to speak to the protesters, but eventually allowed it in an effort to get the students to return to their classrooms sooner.
In a statement, district spokesperson Jessica Ochoa said Inglewood Unified “promptly intervened to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.”
“We strongly advise…
Read the full article here
