CHICAGO, IL, May 13, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- 17th Ward Alderman Latasha Thomas, in conjunction with the 17th Ward Ministerial Alliance, hosted a Youth Violence Prevention Summit today at Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church on the south side of Chicago to address the rise in violent crimes and murders involving Chicago Public School students.
Thomas, who serves as Chicago City Council Education Committee Chairperson, teamed-up with Chicago Public Schools ("CPS") Chief Executive Officer Ronald Huberman and other CPS senior officials, plus members of the Chicago Police Department and community religious leaders in a forum designed to evaluate current practices to keep school-aged youth safe."
"The goal of the forum was to examine the actions necessary - and establish best practices - for all of our children to achieve safe passage to and from school," said Alderman Thomas, who is a lifelong 17th Ward resident, CPS graduate and mother of two. "We want these talks to result in an operational synergy between stakeholders, improved awareness and response from the community, and better outcomes for our children."
"Our mission is to reduce the threat of violence that drains the spirits, focus and learning abilities of our students," said 17th Ware Ministerial Alliance Chairperson Reverend Walter Matthews. "This is a cause that every parent, every pastor, every administrator and every student should join us in supporting."
The Ministerial Alliance is supporting a series of meetings to evaluate the effectiveness and suggest improvements the current safety plan to protect CPS students.
About 17th Ward Chicago Alderman Latasha Thomas
Alderman Latasha R. (Johnson) Thomas was appointed 17th Ward Alderman by Mayor Richard M. Daley in July 2000. 17th Ward residents then elected Ms. Thomas to represent them in February 2001. She won re-election in February 2003 and 2007 by overwhelming margins. Education is the top issue for Alderman Thomas, who serves as the Chairperson of the City Council Education Committee. She has worked tirelessly to improve the Chicago Public School system. Alderman Thomas' leadership has led to the renovation of many 17th Ward schools. Ms. Thomas hosts or sponsors essay contests, serves on several educational committees and provides incentives for both parents and children to aggressively pursue a love of learning and involvement in the educational process.
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