WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderHarlem students protest teacher layoffs

Harlem students protest teacher layoffs

By Katie Nilsson

MACHESNEY PARK (WREX) - Dozens of Harlem students protest the school board's plan to cut teachers next year.  It started as a peaceful sit in this morning but some students decided to leave school for the day all together.

When the students arranged the sit in, administrators asked them to go back to class.  While most of them did, about a dozen or so refused and left school. 

"Anybody that doesn't want to go back to school, raise their hand. I guess we're not going back to class then," those words came from the group of students who left Harlem Friday morning.  The students say they walked out of class to support teachers being laid off because of the expected drop in state funding.

The Harlem board voted to get rid of about 100 staff, its Pre-K Program and make changes to the Special Education Program.  The moves are expected to save the district more than $3 million dollars.  Harlem Superintendent Dr. Julie Morris says a projected 14% drop in state aid means it'll really only save District 122 about $2 million. "It's not because we don't care about our teachers or our students it's because of the crisis that the state is in financially."

Students and parents say it's not fair to the teachers or the kids.  Even though Senior Joe Pettigrew won't be at Harlem next year, he feels for the kids who will be. "We walked out supporting our teachers that aren't going to be here next year if they choose to get rid of them and all the students that are going to be here.

Leah Morris has a sophomore enrolled there and thinks it's awesome to see kids supporting their teachers. "The kids do not want to see their teachers leave; they're very upset about some of the teachers that are being dismissed and the loss of some activities that may incur at the dismissing of some of these teachers."

"If they have organized peacefully and they do go back to school or they don't become disruptive there's not a lot of consequence that would follow," says Dr. Morris.  She says the students at the sit in inside the school won't be disciplined.  It's not known yet what, if any punishment the ones who left school will face.