Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago Public Schools system, could be asked next year to support a school specifically for gay and bullied youth. (Photo by AP)
Vote on Chicago school for bullied youth is delayed
CHICAGO
(AP)
—
Backers
of
a
proposed
high
school
touted
as
a
haven
for
gay
and
bullied
youth
have
pulled
their
proposal,
saying
they
wanted
to
spend
another
year
to
finalize
their
plans.
Under
mounting
pressure
from
ministers
and
gay
activists
alike,
Social
Justice
Solidarity
High
School
planners
had
already
changed
the
school’s
name
and
focus
to
create
a
school
that
would
be
one
of
the
nation’s
largest
to
serve
any
students
who
have
fallen
victim
to
bullying
and
harassment.
The
plan
—
pulled
Nov.
18,
hours
before
a
scheduled
vote
on
its
creation
—
also
was
a
less
explicitly
gay
version
of
a
plan
first
presented
to
Chicago’s
board
of
education
in
October
by
schools
chief
Arne
Duncan.
The
school’s
intended
start
date
remains
2010,
planners
said.
“The
proposal
has
changed
since
the
Oct.
8
planning
hearing,
and
the
design
team
is
taking
an
additional
year
to
finalize
the
proposal,”
the
design
team
said
in
a
statement
released
by
Chicago
Public
Schools.
The
original
plan
was
for
the
Social
Justice
High
School:
Pride
Campus
to
open
in
2010
and
eventually
serve
600
students,
about
half
of
whom
were
expected
to
identify
as
gay.
The
newer
Solidarity
plan
had
the
same
timeline
and
enrollment
goals,
but
a
different
mission.
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