Newark community rallies against Superintendent Cami Anderson and 'One Newark' plan

Students protesting changes to the Newark school system stormed a Board of Education meeting Tuesday with a picket line and sit-in. The disruption eventually shut down the meeting and forced Superintendent

News 12 Staff

•

May 21, 2014, 6:54 AM

•

Updated 3,891 days ago

Students protesting changes to the Newark school system stormed a Board of Education meeting Tuesday with a picket line and sit-in.

The disruption eventually shut down the meeting and forced Superintendent Cami Anderson to leave.

Anderson's controversial plan to reorganize the city's schools and potentially send kids away from neighborhood schools was at the center of the demonstration.

The protest against the proposal, called "One Newark," began with picketers on Broad Street. "We're here to tell Cami, we're not going to let up," said Kristin Towkaniuck

But when people tried to move inside, some members of the public were barred from going to the public meeting.

Students who were able to piled into the meeting and refused to leave. As the hours dragged on, some officials who ordered them food saw it turned away by guards.

"I've never seen the level of disrespect of the students that was displayed here tonight," says board member Marquis Lewis.

The One Newark plan is expected to go into effect this summer and students will be forced to go to new schools.

Anderson has said that only 20 Newark schools could be rated as good and that One Newark would create a mix of both public and charter schools that would enable all of them to improve.