Tensions over Broad Street School closure boil over at Dept. of Education meeting

Tension over the impending closure of Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School at Broad Street boiled over this week as Providence community members impacted by the closure showed up to a Rhode Island Department of Education meeting with signs and shouts.

Partway through the meeting, chants broke out, with members of the crowd shouting, "Keep our schools open!" One man, addressing the council, yelled, "You guys have failed Providence! You know that!" Another cried, "Say something!"

Around that point, the council recessed for about 25 minutes before returning to finish its meeting.

"During the Providence update on curriculum, community members began voicing concern while the board conducted its scheduled business," department spokesman Victor Morente said in a statement. "The chair called for a recess, which the council voted for, and a few minutes later, the meeting resumed to continue with the remaining items on the agenda."

Morente added that "we understand people are passionate about this matter," though he cited Providence Public School District's more than $500-million facilities plan for what the district is calling "new or like new buildings" as part of it's "newer and fewer" strategy.

Public speaks out about Providence school closure plan

The interrupted meeting, held by the Rhode Island Department of Education's Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, offered attendees a roughly 20-minute public comment period. Nine people signed up to speak, many of whom criticized the Providence Public School District's abrupt announcement that it would shutter the elementary school, which is in poor condition and, the district says, suffering from a decline in enrollment.

More:As PPSD moves forward with closing schools, parents call for a pause

For locals, the issue has been clear: They were not consulted about the closure of that school and two others in the city: Carl G. Lauro Elementary School and Gilbert Stuart Middle School, the latter of which will be phased out.

"It saddens me knowing that the decision of closing ASF Broad Street was a decision that the teachers, parents, and most importantly, the students, were not part of," said Jaylean Suriel, a sixth-grader at Roger Williams Middle School who graduated from Broad Street. "You never asked the students how they would feel and what impact this would have on them. It’s almost as if their voices are not important."

Patrick Shelton, who teaches fifth grade at the school, cited its improvement in math, science and English language arts test scores, contending that "instead of building on the successes, the district wants to split us apart."

More on the school closuresRIDE, Providence school district grilled over school closures. Here’s what happened.

Katelyn Crudale, the head of Broad Street's Parent Teacher Organization, was also present to protest the closure, as was Broad Street teacher Carol Winter, who called for it to be stopped.

All three closures were announced late last year by the Providence Teachers Union. The district blamed the union for breaking the news and for the outrage it caused.

Since then, PPSD and RIDE have been facing backlash, including from state lawmakers in the House Oversight Committee, which grilled district and department leadership in December. During the hearing, it became clear the community was never involved in the decision making process.

RIDE defends school closures, saying it wants schools to be better

Addressing Suriel, council Chairwoman Patricia DiCenso acknowledged there was a "failure to communicate," saying, "if the kids didn’t know, it was probably because their parents didn’t talk to them about it because the parents didn’t know."

"However I want to tell you that the reason why this is happening is because people really want the schools to be better," DiCenso added, defending the decision and stating that when it came to community involvement, "somehow that step was skipped."

More:Why changes to midterms in Providence schools have some students, parents frustrated

Families with students in the two elementary schools that are closing are now being asked to complete preference forms to identify where they would like their children to be relocated. So far, Morente said more than half of families have submitted the forms.

However, not everyone is in agreement about the timeline. Outgoing Providence School Board member Jesus Nunez said in a text that he wants RIDE to pause the closures — something to which the state has not agreed — to offer more opportunity for input from teachers and families.

"More time = more transparency," he wrote.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Broad Street School closure draws protests to RIDE meeting