Students walk out in support of principal

March 9, 2007 (WLS) -- The controversy over the firing of the Curie High School principal spilled into the streets Friday morning. Angry students walked out of class to protest the firing of Jerryelyn Jones.

Saturday, the local school council at Curie High School meets for its regular session. But one issue expected to take some time is the LSC's decision to get rid of the current principal. Before Saturday's meeting some students wanted to have their say.

It wasn't as dramatic as hoped. But a group of students walked out of school as they had planned. The idea was to show support for their principal.

"She's a big support. She helped me out through a lot. I could come to her and talk to her about anything," said Theodore Jackson, student.

Jerryelyn Jones has been principal of Curie High School for eight years. Her contract is up and the local school council decided to not renew her contract. The LSC's decision resulted in a campaign to keep Principal Jones, a campaign that enlisted the help of Mayor Daley, who calls Jones one of the best principals in the Chicago Public Schools system.

"This is a great injustice. If we allow this to take place all over the city you will get rid of good principals," Mayor Daley said last week.

Some students organized a walkout Friday morning, but they say Principal Jones asked them not the take the action and security guards at the doors intimidated other students.

"They lined every door with security so we had no possibility of walking out. Anybody who got out, like we did, had to avoid security or run," said Ashley Hart, student.

"My daughter and her friends felt strong enough to say, 'Wait a minute, she's being treated badly for doing a good job.' Her scores have gone up. Kids are in school and graduating. What more can we ask for?" said Kim Zedak, parent.

Some LSC members who support the decision to remove Jones say they can not speak openly about the reasons. They say it is a personnel issue and that the law prevents them from discussing private matters. But they emphasize their decision came after a thorough review of Jones' record.

"According to the review we have, we think we need a change. I cannot give you the reasons because of the legal process," said Maria Lopez, LSC member.

"If there are people who are unhappy with the decision, they should look to the group to reconsider, but not in such a heavy-handed way," said Carlos Heredia, Latino Organization of The Southwest.

The student body at Curie is mainly Hispanic and African-American. Jerryelyn Jones is African-American. Some have alleged that the council wanted to have a Latino principal. But, Friday, LSC members denied that and say their decision was based on Jones' record.

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