I agree with others here who have mentioned that asking parents to keep the kids home is counterproductive. If you want to show these people they’re wrong do it in the courtroom and leave the kids in the classroom where they can gain the most leverage BY REACHING EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND GRADUATING. It’s time good ol Rev Al rethinks his tactics. From this article I understand its probably one day, but leave the kids out of this so called boycott.

This is outrageous. You have a group of children who already don’t see the necessity of an education, which is why the students are graduating anyway. The graduation rate has more to do with their environment then the actual school system. Maybe if the kids did better in school they would get more funding. While I have a problem with not funding schools I feel it is outrageous for a grown, supposed Minister, to minimize the importance of school in the eyes of the young people.

Angela,

Back in the day it was grown people doing the boycotting. They were boycotting for the rights that we have now. Yet, they’re not taking advantage of. How dare they boycott school that they don’t think is important anyway. How about Sharpton ecnouraging the youth to be serious about school and help boost the graduation rate so that the government won’t have any choice but to fund the school.

Chaicago!!!!!!! I think he should have said All across America. Start with North Carolina! Jim Crow’s Evil spirt is working in every school and he has brought some friend from hell with him!

Sharpton’s emphasis should be placed on getting parents to actually act like parents and really prepare their children for school themselves. Too many kids are being routinely born into uneducated, unfit, and impoverished broken homes and it’s affecting every aspect of their lives. Some of our kids to have a chance from the begining because of their immature parents. We need to boycott unfit parenting. Truth be told, these kids are being dumped off at school with the expectation for the schools to do what the parents should be doing.

This is crazy, send those lil kids to school, we aint got time for all this black & white drama, its starting to get old. We all know about the past and how our people were slaves, well Barack gona change all this madness soon so Sharpton calm yo ass down. Our black people need there education now!!

Mmmm.. i think its better not to avoid something if its broken, skool and/or the skool system included. There are other programs that allow kids to still get a GED or High School Diploma… it realli takes the parent getting involved for students to realli enjoy alts like that. Most parents(I feel) Just use public skool as a big daykare. With that said, if the skool is kauses kids to have more problems then what it helps or fixes then yeah.. it has to be addressed. Thats not gonna happen until the public takes notise and this’ah do it. lol

Rev. Al is talking the white man’s talk. They love it when one of us tell children not to get an education. Do he have a plan B? Don’t go to the
public school but come to Rev. Al Sharpton’s school until the boycot is over.
I agree with the other bloggers, maybe Rev. Al should open a school for
these children’s parent – teach them what it is to be a Mother and/or Father.
With some education the parents would know how to make their schools better.

When is the last time you have been in a class room any where Mr. Sharpton…by having children out of school you will be creating a larger problem…it amazes me how people come up with these ideas but don?t think them all the way through…most if not all parents are both working what do you do with the children…maybe they should all go to Al?s house….there are very smart and bright young people coming out the the schools…true a lot need work and better funding but the way is not to stand in the way of education….Parents need to get more involved…curiculum needs to be updated and changed…it does need to grab the interest of the youth…teachers need better salaries and support…there are so many magnet schools cropping up take a page from what they are doing…be pro active…have a plan….we run blinding into something an do think things through…it is wonderful to be passionate about a cause…but know what you are doing and how it will effect everyone involved…

B.E.T. Vocational Schools! A school that teaches bussiness and entertainment !.. I hope one day this will happen!!!!

I don’t agree with keeping these kids out of school. The Sharpton’s of the world should stick their nose somewhere else and not encourage these parents to have their kids miss school. These kids need to be in school no matter what the situation is. We have enough kids w/in our community that’s not getting their education! STAY OUT OF THIS SHARPTON AND GET SOME BUSINESS OF YOUR OWN!

when will you black folks realize Al and Jessie dont play for your team- wasnt this guy the same guy who asked black business not to run in harlem to protest the bell issue… MMM HUH?? how will people eat if you shut down your business. Now he wants your kids not to go to school. I smell a rat people think about it.

when will you black folks realize Al and Jessie dont play for your team- wasnt this guy the same guy who asked black business not to run in harlem to protest the bell issue… MMM HUH?? how will people eat if you shut down your business. Now he wants your kids not to go to school. I smell a rat people think about it.

Perhaps Mr. Sharpton should have been more clear on his reasoning for stating why the children should skip school. In some states school funding is based on the number of children who are in school during the first 10 to 15 days of school. This attendance determines the amount of money the school and the school district will recieve from the federal and state government. Now once the federal governmentand/or state government give the school district the money the district determines how and where the funds will be used. It sounds as if the school district in Chicago are not making good decisions or fair decisions about spending/funding for certain schools or areas. All children have the right to a free and public education and it is important for children to be in school. But don’t be to quick to settle for any type of education just because it’s free, strive to make it equal so that our kids benefit from the same educational experiences and opportunities that children from more affluent areas are given just because. Also history has always shown that there is power in money, if you want to change society hit them in the economical pocket. I bet the school district in chicago don’t want to experience any changes in funding they just don’t want you telling them how to spend it. Sometimes you must take a stand for something cause if not you will fall for anything. So perhaps Mr. Sharpton or the media should reveal his entire thought behind skipping school, I bet its just a temporary measure to get the attention of those who need to pay attention in order to make a change

I questioned what was the reasoning for Al Sharpton to suggest that Chicago Blacks Should Skip School. So inquired through other sources. Maybe this may shed a light on the situation.

“Today we are back to two-tiered schools — white and affluent on one side, and black, brown and poor on the other,” said Meeks, who also is a minister on the city’s South Side. “That’s an injustice and it’s immoral.”
Meeks said he expects several thousand Chicago students to travel in a caravan of buses to New Trier Township High School in the leafy, North Shore suburb of Winnetka, where they will attempt to enroll.
State statistics indicate that the New Trier district spends around $17,000 annually on each of its students compared to the roughly $10,000 a year spent for each student in Chicago public schools.
We, as a civilized people, can’t do it this way,” Meeks said. “We’re doing irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of kids.”

Officials at New Trier Township High School District 203 said it wasn’t yet clear how they’ll deal with so many Chicago students showing up at one time to attempt to enroll at the high school.

Please send your child to school. The parents should be talking up on more funding for these school. The crime rate are already up and keeping your child out of school will increase the problem.

redo left out a few words.
I questioned what was the reasoning for Al Sharpton to suggest that Chicago Blacks Should Skip School. So I inquired through other sources. Maybe this may shed a some light on the situation.

“Today we are back to two-tiered schools — white and affluent on one side, and black, brown and poor on the other,” said Meeks, who also is a minister on the city’s South Side. “That’s an injustice and it’s immoral.”
Meeks said he expects several thousand Chicago students to travel in a caravan of buses to New Trier Township High School in the leafy, North Shore suburb of Winnetka, where they will attempt to enroll.
State statistics indicate that the New Trier district spends around $17,000 annually on each of its students compared to the roughly $10,000 a year spent for each student in Chicago public schools.
We, as a civilized people, can’t do it this way,” Meeks said. “We’re doing irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of kids.”

Officials at New Trier Township High School District 203 said it wasn’t yet clear how they’ll deal with so many Chicago students showing up at one time to attempt to enroll at the high school.

I understand where Rev Al is coming from when he speaks of boycotting and keeping the children home from attending the first day of school, but, I also agree that keeping the children home from school will not help either.

It is not until we as “African American” step up to the plate with “New Leadership” and new ways of confronting prejudice, discrimination, rejection, failure, disappointments, hatred, and our lack of understanding, will our children learn to take a more positive lead towards the future.

There are some many things we can blame for the lack in our Community, but it’s time for us to stop blaming and start claiming. Yes, parents haves
some blame, Yes, children have some blame, Yes, government have some blame, and Yes, Educators have some blame, but when do we stop
pointing the fingers at ____and starting pitching in to help. We as
Blacks Folks do a lot of talking and not a lot of doing. It takes one person to
step up and pursue theirr dream of starting a “Center for Kids”, it takes another to person to step up and pursue their dream of “Cleaning up your neightbor with a cleaning party.

The reason most culture don’t respect us, is because most of the time we don’t respect ourself. I’m sure so of you who have great job or education will disagree, but most of you don’t respect those who are considered poor or below poverty. Once a upon a “Blacks” were hated, because everyone was jealous of our special abilities , special talents, and special looks, but now we are most hated, but by each other. Remember this,
“IF ONE IS DOWN AND OUT, WE ALL ARE DOWN AND OUT”.

THERE ARE MANY URBAN SCHOOLS THAT ALSO HAS DISPROPORTIONED EDUCATIONAL FUNDING AND EDUCATION FOR INNER CITY KIDS, SO I DONT THINK ONE CITY IN A STATE IS GOING TO MAKE ONE BIT OF DIFFERENCE. I DONT KNOCK AL SHARPTON FOR WHAT HE IS TRYING TO DO, I DO HOWEVER QUESTION THE TIMING OF THE BOYCOTT, I THINK THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE DURING THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER RECESS FOR THE KIDS NATIONWIDE AFTER GRADUATION STATISTICS WERE TAKEN AND STUDIED TO SEE THE DISPARITIES IN QUALITY EDUCATION AMONGST THE CLASSES OF PEOPLE. UNTIL PEOPLE OF ALL RACES THAT ARE UNDERPRIVILEDGED UNITE TO PROTEST AND FIGHT FOR BETTER EDUCATION FOR THE MINORITIES ENROLLED IN SCHOOLS THEY LACK PROPER ENVIROMENT AND ADEQUATE LEARNING MATERIAL AND QUALITY TEACHERS WHO CARE, THINGS WILL NEVER CHANGE. MONEY USED TO FIGHT THIS WAR COULD BE SPENT ON SO MANY THINGS LIKE EDUCATION THAT IS BEING OVERSHADOWED AND NEGLECTED FOR EXPLOITATION OF A RICH COUNTRY FLEXING ITS MUSCLES……

all im going to say is this and read this good…………if u listen to Lil Wayne or not his new CD Carter3 go to last track 16 and listen,i agree with all comments and its true

i agree they should boycott the school. i mean race shouldn’t have to matter how you get an eduacation. it worked back in the day and probably will work now. you have to stand up for what you believe in. good luck.