The Illinois Appellate Court Friday, June 23rd, overturned a lower court’s order staying CPS’ revocation of Urban Prep Academies’ charter until the case is fully adjudicated which allows the Englewood and Bronzeville schools academies to remain open until the case is fully adjudicated.
Calling the Appellate Court’s ruling a victory, Craig Wimberly, president of the Coalition of African American Leaders (COAL), which has been advocating for the school to remain a Black-managed school, said, “This means that CPS can’t take any further steps to close down Urban Prep.
“We are all excited about the news, but it is what I expected from the Illinois Appellate Court,” said Wimberly. “I had a problem with the ruling that the lower court made, but I was confident that the Appellate Court would set it right because they followed the law.”
To the 400 Black male students who attend Urban Prep Academies, Wimberly said, “The Appellate Court’s ruling means they got their day in court which is what you want. At the end of the day, when you are wrong, you take it to the courts and that is what Urban Prep is doing.”
Wimberly believes the decision of the Illinois State Board of Education, which affirmed CPS’ revocation of Urban Prep’s charter, is “morally bankrupt.”
“They are trying to stop Urban Prep from providing our students with a quality education. Our kids deserve a quality education and to do anything that adversely affects that is morally bankrupt,” said Wimberly.
