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Student Group Calls for National Week of Student/Community Activism to Support Expelled High School Students

By Chicago Students for a Democratic Society  Posted by Kevin Gosztola (about the submitter)       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
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Press Release

November 7, 2007

Press Contacts: Nick Kreitman, 847-970-0575, chicagosds@gmail.com
Casey B. Renz, 708-214-2836, cbrenz@gmail.com

Chicago, November 7, 2007 -- Chicago Students for a Democratic Society will express their solidarity with expelled Morton West high school anti-war students at a school board meeting beginning at 7PM on Wednesday, November 7, at Morton East High School, located at 2423 S. Austin Ave. in Cicero.

Chicago Students for a Democratic Society will also call for a national week of student and community activism against the war in solidarity with the Morton West high school students.

The Morton West students face the threat of expulsion for participating in a peaceful November 1, 2007 high school cafeteria sit-in, organized by the students to coincide with All Saints Day, a holiday honored by Latino families to commemorate the dead. Student leaders had notified school administrators of their intent to stage the sit-in prior to the event.

Many students have appealed their suspensions in meetings with school administrators. Parents have reported that during these meetings officials have presented students with photographs from the November 1, 2007 protest. These photographs contained numbers and names above the images of each student present at the sit-in. Parents and students were encouraged to provide names of those who organized the event, in return for amnesty for cooperating students.

A petition being circulated by Chicago Students for a Democratic Society has received national and international support, garnering over 6,500 signatures in just under two days. The petition has won support from notables including antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, authors Ron Jacobs and Joshua Frank, Kathy Kelly from Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and former U.S. ARMY Colonel and U.S. diplomat Ann Wright.

Chicago Students for a Democratic Society condemns the militarization of schools and supports all students, especially those at Morton West High School, who struggle for a moral and just society without war. We urge all students and community activists throughout the country to stand in support of these students and to take part in the coming week of action against the war.

To view the national petition in support of the students, visit: www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/petition.html

For more information on the case, go to chicago.indymedia.org.

See this link for the Superintendent's statement: www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp

For letters or phone calls of support, please see below:

Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent, District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski (at) jsmorton.org, (708) 222-5702

Mr. Lucas, Principal, Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave., Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas (at) west.jsmorton.org, 708-222-5901
Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President, District 201 Board
3145 South 55th Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804
708-802-1863

Chicago Students for a Democratic Society: cccsds.wordpress.com
www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org
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Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof Press. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, "Unauthorized Disclosure." He was an editor for OpEdNews.com
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