1,000 Students Defy School Bosses in Walkout

NEWARK, NJ, April 30 — On April 9, over 1,000 students walked out of Newark’s schools to protest the bosses’ budget cuts. The action was organized by the newly formed Newark Student Union (NSU), whose courage and organization demonstrated its ability to lead masses of students.
As Newark experiences attacks on education similar to many other cities, this new voice — the NSU — is making itself heard. Consisting of high school students citywide, the NSU has not only given leadership to other students but also to everyone fighting back against the racist attacks.
PLP has always maintained that the main contradiction in education is between the ruling class and the students. That is becoming clearer as we see more cops in schools, curriculums changing to meet the Common Core Standards, increasing class sizes and cutting student services.
The ruling class hasn’t done the best job in keeping this quiet either. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the bosses need to reform education to meet U.S. imperialism’s requirements for the 21st century.
After hearing about a $57 million budget cut this coming school year, NSU —  although only a few months old — quickly sprung into action. Their first meeting, expecting 15-30 students, had attracted over 170 from four different high schools!
Solidarity with Teachers, Unions
Last month the group held its first demonstration outside the New Jersey Performing Art Center during a Brian Lehrer (WNYC) panel on education with Newark School Superintendent Cami Anderson and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. After students listened for over an hour to Anderson and Booker justifying their dismantling of schools and the union here, they rose up in defiance and began chanting, “Newark Students, Stand Up! Fight Back!” They also showed their unity with their teachers by chanting, “Stop attacking our teachers, their unions, their tenure, and their jobs.” 
Walkout
The night before the April 9 walkout, Anderson tried to send an automatic call home to all parents telling them that their students will be suspended if they walk out. She even sent the Assistant Superintendent to one school to try to talk the students out of it. Finally, they ordered a lockdown in all schools five minutes before the walkout took place.
While in some schools students were afraid to walk out (only a dozen made it out of one school), in others, like Science High School, over 300 students walked out through the front door — right past the Assistant Superintendent!
As a result of the NSU’s courage to continue to fight, the Superintendent was forced to backtrack the next day and deny that they tried to keep students from leaving for the protest!
Organize for May Day
PLP students and teachers have participated in these actions and held a meeting to win these students to come to May Day. More than just a communist holiday, May Day gives students the opportunity to see what communism is, and that fighting to stop budget cuts is just a small battle in the much larger battle for communism.