IT’S TIME TO OCCUPY THE PEP
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 5:30PM
Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl (between Fulton and Dekalb) in Brooklyn
Near the Nevins 2/3/4/5 or the Dekalb B/D/N/Q/R
Background
On Thursday, February 9th, the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) will hold an open meeting and then a vote to close down dozens more schools. The PEP is an un-elected 13-member body (the majority of whom are appointed by Mayor 1% Bloomberg) whose decisions dramatically affect the lives of the 99%. Every time a vote for school closings has come before the panel, they have voted on behalf of their puppeteer, Mayor Bloomberg. No matter what impassioned students, parents, educators or elected officials have said in the past, the PEP has ALWAYS voted against the people. PEP meetings are open to the public.
We, students, parents and educators from the 99%, invite you to join us in having our OUR OWN VOTE on the fate of our schools.
If you don’t believe Mayor 1%’s puppet board should be empowered to make decisions about our schools, come help us OPEN THE MEETING UP! In October, the panel walked out of their meeting and we held our own meeting. Click here to see how it went down. Now, let’s do it with thousands!
Ways YOU can Occupy the PEP:
Option A: Are you a student, parent, educator or elected official from a school that the PEP has targeted for closure? Members of your school community should plan to use THE PEOPLE’S MIC to speak out about the mayor’s policies and about your school! To see how the people’s mic works, click here.
- EXAMPLE: I am here because the panel shouldn’t be voting without the community’s consent to close down schools. In my school…
- EXAMPLE: I am here because the mayor has it all wrong, and because he wants to take over space in our public schools to hand it over to charter schools. Our school is an amazing community…
- EXAMPLE: I am here because what is happening here is wrong! Because the people have spoken and they say enough is enough!…
Or you can plan a song, performance, or skit. Every school that the PEP plans to vote on will have a chance to speak out and use the people’s mic. Please practice! The people’s mic can be tricky and you have to speak in short phrases of three to seven words and wait for people to respond. But it’s a powerful tool that can change the balance of power in the room! Let’s use it!
Then the PEOPLE (not the puppet panel) will vote on the state of your school!
Option B: Not from a closing school? Well then we need your help to support the occupation of this undemocratic meeting! There are definitely ways you can participate. We need your voice to help amplify the voices of those speaking on behalf of their schools. We also need folks to sit near the aisle to protect the people’s mic. And we’re asking folks to wear shirts or stickers that identify who the occupiers are and what we stand for. For example, you might consider wearing a shirt or sticker that says “Student Against School Closings” or “Parent for Community Control of Schools”, etc. There will be speeches, performances, skits, signs to hold, and more! Join us.
Please contact occupythedoe@gmail.com with any questions. Let’s open up the PEP and put the decision making power where it belongs—with the people!
