Parents, community members protest proposed closure of Bear Flag Elementary School

For Immediate Release February 27, 2007

Press Contacts from the Bear Flag Community:
David Liu – (916) 274-0518 (Community Member)
Krystal Lee – Home (916) 421-3439, Cell (916) 271-4624 (Parent)
Lyle Braziel - Home (916) 392-9358

Press Contact for The Sacramento Coalition To Save Public Education:
Heidi McLean – (916) 456-9435

Bear Flag Elementary’s “Re-Purpose”/”Redesignation?

Tonight there will be a Community Meeting at 6:00 pm in the Bear Flag Elementary School’s multipurpose room (6620 Gloria Drive) to discuss what the Sacramento City Unified School District’s (SCUSD) Communications Office’s press release calls the “re-purpose of the Bear Flag campus.” Parents and community members simply call it “Closure.”

That this is a closure is obvious to Bear Flag parent Krystal Lee. She thinks SCUSD should consider the message that this sends to the community and to students.

“The School District administration, including our elected School Board Members, should consider the message they are sending to our young children and our communities should they allow this obscene school closure to move forward," said Lee.

Ms. Lee is convinced that the SCUSD staff’s plan wasn’t created to help Bear Flag students.

“It is clear, from the mere idea of such a proposal, that some of our leaders are willing to attempt to solve the problems of the school district upon the backs of our children and that they are perfectly fine with passing the burden, blame, and expense onto the innocent population that can least afford to bear the sacrifice; the students of Bear Flag Elementary," explained Lee. "As parents of these students charged with an inherent duty to protect our children, we cannot allow this to happen!"

Local resident David Liu was perplexed by the “done deal” tone of SCUSD staff at a previous meeting. He hopes that the SCUSD Board of Education will hold staff accountable and not accept such a flawed process.

“Closing Bear Flag school not only harms the children academically and psychologically, it weakens the social fabric of our community,” he stated. The Board must uphold its duty to maintain our public schools, solve their problems and make them better – not close them," stated Liu.

The poor communication between SCUSD and parents/community is undeniable. The wording of tonight’s meeting notice, sent home last week with students and mailed to area residents, is an example of this.

… “This is the third community meeting focused around the district wide facilities redesignation and redistribution plans which may have an impact on the Bear Flag community. District staff will answer questions generated at the first two community meetings. All parents and community members are encouraged to attend.”

“The word “re-purpose” in the SCUSD press release and “redesignation” in the meeting notice, appear to be part of an effort to disguise Sac City Unified’s intention to close a neighborhood school,” said Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education spokeswoman Heidi McLean. “This is just one more example of SCUSD staff knowing what they want, and then creating a process that insures they get that result."

Agenda Item 10.1 of the March 1, 2007 SCUSD Board of Education meeting deals with Bear Flag. However, it is under the heading of Full Utilization of Bear Flag and Caroline Wenzel Schools.