Hundreds of parents, teachers urge board to stop proposed neighborhood school closures

A large group of parents, teachers and residents pressed the Eau Claire Area School District board on the potential closure or relocation of neighborhood elementary schools, urging trustees to end the process and preserve on-site services, programs and community stability.

Hundreds of people from Longfellow, Flynn, Flint and Roosevelt told the board that closures would disproportionately harm students from low-income families, English learners and children with disabilities and would disrupt students’ mental health and neighborhood support networks. Paul Gerchak, introduced as a Roosevelt parent and Roosevelt PTA president, told trustees, “We please end this process and release this community, our student, and our staffs from this…