Students, families and staff urge SFUSD to halt planned closure of Academy at McAteer

Students, parents and school staff pleaded with the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education to stop plans to close the Academy at McAteer and merge its students into Wallenberg, saying the move would strip students of a supportive, close-knit environment and campus resources.

The appeals came during the board's public comment period. Students delivered a string of personal appeals: "The Academy is not a school. It's a family," said Dolly (junior), who described improved grades and support after transferring back to the Academy. Jaden Knutson, who identified himself as the Academy student body president, said he transferred away when the school faced closure and that his grades dropped until he returned. "I felt isolated and invisible," he told the board.

Dozens of speakers — current students, parents and some teachers — described the Academy's small-school supports, a student-run campus farm…