Crown Heights students boycott school in protest

Students from P.S. 161 in Crown Heights boycotted class today, in protest of the Department of Education's (DOE) proposal to close their school.
The students say the boycott, organized by PTA President Demetrius Lawrence, is an act of civil disobedience. The school's principal says only 70 percent of students were in class today.
Some of the participating students gathered in a church basement, watching movies on civil rights leaders and writing essays about what they've learned in school.
The DOE wants to phase out P.S. 161, claiming the school is struggling with declining enrollment and low student achievement. A vote is expected Thursday to determine what schools will be phased out or closed.