South El Paso Group Continues To Protest Closure Of Beall Elementary School

Comite de Familias Unidas del Chamizal is a community group in South El Paso that says the El Paso Independent School District doesn’t care about their kids or their schools.

The group says the recent announcement of the closure of several schools was done without taking into account how area residents felt about losing their neighborhood schools. Comite de Familias released a statement that said EPISD officials held public meetings and used information that suppressed the voices of the parents of Beall Elementary school children. The group says the district tried to make parents believe they were the only entity with the authority to make the decision about which schools should be closed. The group says EPISD is not the sole authority because they will have to answer to the state and federal government if their decision widens the educational gap that exists in low income communities like Beall's.

In addition to the educational gap, Comite officials say closing Beall and moving those children to Douglass Elementary School will divide the community and put their kids in a school that will expose them to “sources of pollution like the railroad and industrial waste, recycling facility that exists near Douglass.”

Last year, Comite filed a lawsuit against EPISD to prevent a school bus hub from being built near Bowie High School. EPISD officials addressed those concerns earlier in January saying they have followed all recommendations by experts to minimize the danger to children in the area.

It appears that the Comite de Familias Unidas del Chamizal is serious about preventing EPISD from closing Beall Elementary School. The question is, is that the best thing for the district and its taxpayers?