Letter Calling on Caddo Parish Public Schools to Stop the Closure of 81st Street Early Childhood Education Center 

On Tuesday, April 7, local civil rights groups and concerned families gathered to call on the Caddo Parish School Board and Caddo Parish Public Schools to cease plans to close 81st Street Early Childhood Education Center without any plan to ensure that children will receive the same education and services at their new assigned school.

In a new letter, led by All Streets All People, Step Up Louisiana, Advancement Project, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the groups highlight the Board’s and the District’s legacy of discrimination against Black students and carelessness for the well-being, education, and legal rights of the mostly Black families who attend 81st Street.

Omari Ho-Sang, All Streets, All People (ASAP): “You can’t claim to serve children while destabilizing their education and ignoring their families. Caddo School administration has made it clear that they have not communicated a plan to the parents of 81st St. ECE. Closing this school without a real transition plan continues a long pattern of disinvestment in Black schools and communities—and we won’t stand aside quietly and just allow it to happen.”

Breka Peoples, Step Up Louisiana: “This is what disinvestment looks like in real time closing schools in Black communities without a plan and expecting families to just deal with it. We are not going to accept decisions that put our children at risk.”

Laura Petty, Advancement Project: “Caddo Parish Public Schools hasn’t told 81st Street families that their school is closing or made any plans to continue students’ educational services for students. If the District cares about 81st Street families and Caddo Parish’s Black communities, it won’t close 81st Street this year and won’t close any school without ensuring that they are able to provide for students at their new school.”