By Beth Fertig and Jeannie Choi

(Photo: Jeannie Choi) City Councilman Robert Jackson (right) with residents of Upper Manhattan who oppose de-zoning District 6, which includes Washington Heights and Inwood.

The prospect of doing away with local school boundaries continues to be a divisive issue among parents in Harlem, Inwood and Washington Heights. This week, the Department of Education held community hearings to explore the topic again. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, dozens of residents gathered outside the DOE’s headquarters with City Council Education Chairman Robert Jackson, of Upper Manhattan, to oppose eliminating local school zones.

Tony Kelso, a member of Community Education Council 6 (CEC 6), worried that de-zoning would lead the city to close down failing schools.

“Inevitably more people will migrate towards certain schools,” he explained. “They won’t have enough people in those schools and it will make it easier for the DOE to say, ‘well this space isn’t being used, we’ll just close it down and turn it into a charter.’”

Read more: Upper Manhattan Parents Debate De-zoning Again – SchoolBook.

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