Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― While some students stayed home from school in a high-profile boycott, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan said he expected more than 99 percent of students to be in class Tuesday morning.

As CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports, Mayor Richard M. Daley rang the opening bell at the new Miles Davis Academy, at 6723 S. Wood St. in the West Englewood neighborhood.

The new school year and at brand new school is starting with about 500 students. The school is a magnet program emphasizing math and science, with programs from pre-kindergarten through third grade and a head start program.

Fine arts are also an emphasis at the school, which, of course, takes its name from jazz legend Miles Davis.

Parents and elected officials said the new Miles Davis school building stands as physical proof of the importance of inner city public school funding. But they value having students in class instead of participating in the boycott.

"I think by them not sending kids to school, they're taking away more from them than they were going to start with," said parent Lisa Johnson.

"I don't want him to get the message that school is not important," said Gwendolyn Baxter. "I support Reverend Meeks' boycott, but I don't support using our kids for it."

Their views were shared by Chicago Bears player Israel Idonje and Olympic gold medalist basketball player Sylvia Fowles. They say school attendance helps shape student discipline.

"Them coming here being a part of the school and a part of their school community is important," Idonije said.

"My mom was very strict about that," Fowles said. "She wasn't all about my athletic ability. She didn't care half the time. She was really entertained about basketball, but she stayed on my about my academics."

Mayor Daley said missing the first day of school was unacceptable.

"No miracles can happen if you don't send your child to school, and that's why this day is so important. Two and a half months off of school – now if you don't send your child to school the first day, don't be blaming the alderman, don't blame the principal or the teacher, when your child falls farther and farther behind."

Mayor Daley reminded parents that schools are allocated funding in part based on attendance on the first day.

Duncan said earlier that he was expecting more than 99 percent attendance Tuesday.

"We're looking forward to a great, great academic year. We have 34 brand new schools opening – we're right here in front of Miles Davis Academy, a wonderful new facility – and our first children's engineering program," Duncan said. "We have 35 community schools opening, which are schools that are going to be open much longer hours – 12, 13, 14 hours a day – to better serve our children and their families. We're dramatically strengthening the curriculum at both the elementary and the high school level, and we're going to try and double the number of eighth graders taking algebra so they can go to high school with that high school credit in their back pockets."

It was not just mothers packing their kids off to school on Tuesday morning. Fathers were making an effort to pitch in too.

The Black Star Project's Million Father March begins Tuesday morning at Stagg Elementary School, 7424 S. Morgan St. Organizers expect more than 100 fathers to show up, and hundreds more are expected at similar events all around the city and suburbs.

Fathers will also have an opportunity to sign up to volunteer all year long.

Members of the first place Chicago Cubs were among those helping the city's students get back to class. Students at Blaine Elementary School, at 1420 W. Grace St., got to meet Cubs All-Star Ryan Dempster. Neal Cotts rang in the school year at Louis J. Agassiz School of the Fine and Performing Arts, at 2851 N. Seminary Ave., and Mark DeRosa and Jason Marquis were at Prescott Elementary, at 1632 W. Wrightwood Ave.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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