STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT DIANA BOURISAW ON STUDENT SIT-IN

St. Louis – Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, issued the following statement in response to the ongoing student sit-in at city hall:

“I encourage the Mayor and any other elected officials to meet with our students concerning the impending unaccreditation of the St. Louis Public Schools. The sooner we can work to answer these students’ questions, the sooner they will return to the classroom.

“Senator Maida Coleman and I scheduled a meeting for tomorrow with student representatives from all our high schools in order to address their concerns. The decision that we expect next Thursday will certainly affect students in several ways, including:

- requiring students who do not perform at grade level to attend summer school;

- eliminating social promotion regardless of age; and,

- potentially causing difficulty in the ability of our students to gain acceptance into college, or problems in obtaining scholarships. We are in the process of surveying colleges where our students have applied to determine the true impact.

“Again, our unified goal should be to get our students back into the classroom where they belong.”