Fed Up With Failing School, Parents Take Over
New California "Parent Trigger Law" Allows Majority of Parents to Demand a School Shut Down, Change Staff or Become a Charter
(CBS) A new state law in California allows a majority of parents to essentially take over a failing school. CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy continues the series "Reading, Writing and Reform."
Some parents of students at McKinley elementary in Compton, Calif., are fed up It's a tough town and the school is one of the worst in the state - ranked in the bottom 10 percent.
Shemika Murphy says her 2nd grader is still reading at a 1st grade level. She signed the petition along with 62 percent of McKinley parents, forcing the school district to make it a charter school - publicly funded but privately run.
It's the first use of California's so-called "Parent Trigger Law" where a majority of parents can demand a school shut down, change staff, or become a charter.
"We want it to be peaceful," Murphy said. "We're not trying to start a
Some parents of students at McKinley elementary in Compton, Calif., are fed up It's a tough town and the school is one of the worst in the state - ranked in the bottom 10 percent.
Shemika Murphy says her 2nd grader is still reading at a 1st grade level. She signed the petition along with 62 percent of McKinley parents, forcing the school district to make it a charter school - publicly funded but privately run.
It's the first use of California's so-called "Parent Trigger Law" where a majority of parents can demand a school shut down, change staff, or become a charter.
"We want it to be peaceful," Murphy said. "We're not trying to start a