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Detroit students say education policies violate their civil rights

Children in a classroom
Mercedes Mejia
/
Michigan Radio
More than 70% of charter school leaders surveyed expect to leave their schools in five years, according to a study by the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

Some students, parents, and education advocates from Detroit and Highland Park will testify at a federal hearing in Washington this week.

They are part of a nationwide group speaking out against changes in Detroit and other poor school districts.

The group alleges that some of the measures, particularly closing neighborhood schools, have “sabotaged and destabilized” education for many children.

Helen Moore is with the Detroit-based group Keep the Vote-No Takeover.

She said the group wasn’t getting far fighting these measures at the local level.

“So we looked at all the evidence that we had before us. And it ended where we thought, maybe we need to go around the city. And all of us need to combine our efforts, and deal with it on the federal level,” Moore said.

Moore said students and others will testify before U.S. Education Department officials.

The department announced last week that it would investigate several claims that local and state education policies violate Detroit students’ civil rights.

Sarah Cwiek joined Michigan Public in October 2009. As our Detroit reporter, she is helping us expand our coverage of the economy, politics, and culture in and around the city of Detroit.
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