ON NOVEMBER 20, 2024, THE KCPS SCHOOL BOARD VOTED TO CLOSE WHITTIER ELEMENTARY. THIS PETITION IS NO LONGER ACTIVE.

The Lykins Neighborhood Association asks all Lykins residents and parents of students at Whittier Elementary to sign this petition. We urge the Kansas City Public School system to keep Whittier Elementary open.

Whittier is one of the few remaining neighborhood schools. A significant portion of students at Whittier walk to school every day. Our neighborhood kids reap the health and academic benefits from this simple exercise.

In addition, Whittier is the heart of the Lykins neighborhood, closing it would leave a big hole in our community fabric. And the empty space left behind will quickly attract homeless encampments, illegal dumping, and crime. Closing Whittier is an act of disinvestment in one of the most economically challenged yet resilient neighborhoods in Kansas City.

Despite being the school where the most languages are spoken, Whittier is among the top-performing elementary schools in the Kansas City Public School system. Its closure would disregard the feats of its diverse and diligent student body and the teachers and staff who serve them. 

At a minimum, the District should postpone the decision as to whether to close Whittier.  Right now that decision is scheduled to be made on November 20 as part of the District’s proposed fiscal plan.  The District could remove the Whittier closure without other changes to the plan.  That would give the District and the neighborhood more time to talk about how it would be possible to keep Whittier open or, if Whittier has to be closed, how the District might build a new elementary school in the neighborhood.

Therefore, we call on the Kansas City Public Schools to stop their plans to close Whittier Elementary and work with the community to find a better solution. Let's  work together to build a brighter, healthier future for every student and for our neighborhood.

Please sign this position to show your support for keeping Whittier Elementary open.