Local News

School Boycott Leaves Kids Facing Tough Decision

CHICAGO (CBS) ― A call to boycott Chicago public schools in order to challenge the state's education funding formula is drawing fire. Critics have said kids are being used as pawns in a political battle.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports those calling of the boycott say it's really a matter of rich versus poor, and they point out that Illinois ranks 49th out of the 50 states in state contributions to education.

For students, summer's coming to an end and battle lines are being drawn. The debate: whether or not to attend the first day of class.

"I think that all students should go to school because they need all the education they need," said student Tamarcus Williams.

That seemed to be a pretty popular opinion among CPS students enjoying the fine afternoon Wednesday. Many hadn't heard of the proposed boycott, but it didn't seem to change their minds.

"I think it's not right because kids need their education to survive in life," said student Levada Hicks.

But at Sen. Rev. James Meeks church Wednesday night there was a renewed push for the idea of keeping kids out of class Sept. 2 to protest what Meeks and others call a funding inequity between city and suburban schools. And students there were all for it.

Jasmine Hughes sot "I want to feel like I'm making a difference because like I said the school I do to it's kind of bad because we don't have books, like, at all, we don't have any books. And our computers that we do have are really bad… it just needs to be different," said student Jasmine Hughes.

Those backing and defending the boycott say children were also used to make statements during the civil rights movement.

But could the boycott ultimately hurt students? According to CPS officials, elementary students with more than nine unexcused absences and high school students who miss more than 20 percent of any given class must attend summer school, and face tougher promotion standards.

Pastors say this could be more than a one-day boycott. Some say they want it to continue until the funding disparity issue is resolved.

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