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Chicago ministers call for school boycott

By The Admin on August 3, 2008

ABC 7 – Chicago

- The Rev. James Meeks, who is also a state senator, wants his congregants and people from other churches to keep their children home from school this fall, until Chicago inner-city schools get more funding from Springfield.

Sunday sermons were used to gather support for the idea of boycotting Chicago Public Schools. Rev. James Meeks announced his idea last week.

Equal funding for education is something Meeks has been fighting for in Springfield since he was elected state senator six years ago, but he and other pastors believe a boycott is the only way to get attention.

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  • Whittney

    This is a great idea and the intentions are great! But taking these student who are statistically already behind out of school is not the way to go. Meeks is trying to prove a point and gain attention which is great but these students literally can’t afford to not be in school!

  • Ronnie

    I agree that more attention needs to be brought to the unequality of funding in the Illinois public school system. My concerns are for the casualties of this attention – the students. If in fact parents support this idea, what are students supposed to do during the boycott? Will the ministers who are calling for the boycott open their church doors and provide temporary education/ tutoring, a breakfast and lunch program or just a safe place for students to be during school hours? With the amount of violence and safety issues this year alone, I think more thought or communication needs to be given to what will happen to our young people during the boycott!

  • Marilyn Williams

    This can work to get the attention of districts, if done strategically. For example: In some states, Florida being one of them, attendance is taken on certain days of the school year to determine the state funding for the district. The funding amount is determined by the actual number of students present that day. Having students stay home on those days hits the district in its pocket book, and as such can serve as a kind of economic boycott, without causing students to lose too many days of school. State funding is generally tied to school attendance. What may be helpful is to determine how that works in your state.

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