Dear Middle School 353 Families, Alumni, Neighbors and Friends,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I am writing to you as a concerned member of the M.S. 353 Middle school community with regards to the devastating news we received that M.S. 353 will be closing at the end of this school year. Although the Superintendent has claimed that there is a proposal for M.S. 353 to undergo a "merger" with M.S. 354, the reality is that Middle School 353 as we know it will be closed. Despite the Superintendent's claim that it conducted "community research" and "enrollment trends," this decision was made without any input from the M.S.353 or larger Middle School 353 community. As a dedicated community member, I believe that addressing this matter is crucial to the improvement and well-being of our school.

M.S. 353 is an academically rigorous, thriving school with a highly engaged community of diverse families. More importantly, we are a school that is a family.  Many other faculty and staff have dedicated decades to the school and its students. Regardless of whether you are a legacy family with parents and even grandparents who attended M.S. 353, or if your child is attending M.S. 353 for the first time this year, the love and care shared by the school community is always apparent. 

Finally, we are an important part of the Elijah Stroud Campus community.  Many of our friends and neighbors, even from different schools, were shocked to hear of our impending closure.  The closure of M.S. 353 will not only impact the families that attend the school, but it will have a detrimental impact on local businesses and the neighborhood as a whole.

Therefore, I strongly believe that the proposed merging of M.S. 353 and M.S. 354 should not happen and requires urgent attention to ensure the continued growth and success of our school community. By taking proactive steps to address this matter, we can foster a more conducive learning environment and strengthen our school's reputation.
Please sign this petition to Save M.S. 353 Middle School!  We want to show Superintendent Lindsay and the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) how the community truly feels about our school and its survival.

Sincerely,

The Families of Middle School 353