Dear [member of the school board],


We, the undersigned, are asking the members of the ICSD Board of Education to vote against Judith Pastel's proposal to eliminate middle school students from Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS).

LACS is a vital, inclusive community of students and staff. Many of the students have attended LACS since sixth grade. Dedicated alumni return to visit, volunteer, and work at the school. Eliminating the middle school program would detrimentally affect the sense of community that student develop during their many years at the school. High school students act as role models and mentors to the younger students. Older students show leadership by being teacher's assistants in middle school classes or by monitoring the younger students' behavior outside the classroom. Middle school is a developmentally sensitive time. To be successful participants in a school , such as LACS, which emphasizes independent learning and participatory democracy, the students need to spend these developmental years in an environment which encourages this. We feel that Pastel's proposal does not honor the community and the spirit of the school. The Ithaca City School District mission statement says: All students achieving their dreams! If our school district is to uphold its own mission statement, then middle school students should be permitted to continue pursuing their education as part of the Lehman Alternative Community School.