School Desk Protest

Students in LA lead a protest in which they placed 375 desk  outside of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s headquarters.  According to the article printed in the LA Times, the desk represented the number of students who dropped out of school every week during the 2011-2012 school year. Drivers who were stuck in traffic due to the display were very upset.  However, the students and organizers of the protest were also frustrated by the number of students who had dropped out school.  According to the California Department of Education, some 8,748 students had dropped out of school during the 2012-2012 school year.  Students and organizers alike feel as if the most at risk schools in the districts are not having their needs met and are demanding changes.  Some of those changes including having a student representative on the school board and more resources for English Language Learners and low-income students.

I commend these students for taking a stance against a very serious problem in our nation.  That problem is the failure of our educational system to adequately educate all of its students.  We live in a society whereas one is told that the key to the future is education, but what happens to the future of those 375 students per week that drop out of school?  Do we simply, write them off, or try to reassess their needs and help them get back on track? Either way, our young people are our future and  must allow their voices to be heard and give them the space and encouragement to stand up for their rights.  So to the students of Los Angeles, keep standing!