Fenger students get option to transfer to other schools
CPS | Carver Military Academy among choices available
The Chicago Public Schools on Thursday offered a series of options to Fenger High School students who don’t feel safe because of the brawl that left 16-year-old Derrion Albert beaten to death.
Qualified students will be allowed to attend Carver Military Academy beginning in January. Kids wanting to go to other schools will be given transportation vouchers.
(John H. White/Sun-Times)
“If your child goes to Fenger and you want to transfer your child out, we’re giving you some options,” said CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond.
The only point of contention between CPS officials and Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) is what criteria Fenger students will have to pass to gain mid-year entry into the selective enrollment Carver Military Academy.
Bond said Fenger students’ admission interviews, attendance, grades and 7th-grade test scores must generally measure up to standards set by the school.
“The interview will weigh more heavily to give them a greater opportunity for admission,” she said.
Beale said that was not what he agreed to.
“My understanding, and what I agreed to, is that the kids who want to go to Carver can transfer there as long as they sign” the code of conduct standard at all military schools, he said.
Bond countered: “They may not be as rigid, but there will be other requirements” in addition to the code of conduct.
Beale, Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) and the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. led the charge for Carver to be opened to Fenger students. But late Thursday Jackson called the plan “inadequate.’’
After the videotaped brawl captured on videotape, Austin told the Chicago Sun-Times she had spent the last 2 1/2 years pleading with the Chicago Public Schools to change attendance boundaries around Fenger to reduce tensions between rival neighborhoods.
“It has fallen on deaf ears. They did not see the same plight I saw — that these things could become volatile if you don’t do that. Altgeld Gardens kids wouldn’t be coming to Fenger if they were allowed to go to Carver,” she said.
Last week, Mayor Daley appeared to rule out a change in attendance boundaries.
“The day that the city of Chicago decides to divide schools by gang territory, that’s the day we have given up the city,” Daley said.
Chicago Police have stressed that Derrion’s death was not gang-related. He was killed during a brawl between students from Altgeld and a neighborhood closer to Fenger known as the “Ville.”
In a letter to parents and guardians of Fenger students, Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman said he understands why the videotaped brawl has some families searching for alternatives.
“If you are considering transferring your child to another school, we would like to meet with you to discuss your child’s future and education alternatives,” Huberman wrote.
Contributing: Cheryl Jackson