CHICAGO – State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, released the following statement Friday after CPS announced a proposal to close all of the public high schools in West Englewood and Englewood in June of 2018:

“This is more than a blow to the education of our city’s most vulnerable children, it is a direct attack on the livelihood of black communities across the city of Chicago. Our community is already struggling with the highest rates of unemployment, crime, food insecurity and a lack of affordable housing for families. Closing down our four public high schools will only add to that instability.

“In the Englewood community, we experienced six elementary school closings at once just a few years ago. Now those buildings are sitting empty while our kids are forced to commute long distances every day just to get to school. This has had a devastating impact on families in our neighborhoods, and now the city wants to shut down our entire stock of high schools.

“The proposal for a new high school in the South Loop is simply not enough to make up for the loss of public neighborhood high schools for the children in Englewood. This is yet another example of Chicago’s unelected, unaccountable school board answering only to insiders, and turning its back on communities of color. I am fighting to pass an elected school board that will answer to our families, and I’m also calling on CPS’ leaders to reject these closings and put our children’s futures first for a change.”