Frustrated parents, students protest closure of Allapattah Wynwood School
MIAMI - Parents were frustrated Monday morning after they showed up to Allapattah Wynwood School, only to find the doors were locked.
They say the feud between the family that operates the school has gone on too long and students' education is suffering.
About 150 students attend this private school and instead of instruction, students were protesting outside the school house chanting and holding signs.
Families tell CBS Miami that Herbert Fonseca, former assistant principal, and his sister Yolanda Fonseca were fired.
Lawyers sent a letter to parents on December 20th saying that on December 23rd the school would be closed until further notice.
The letter cites a change in staff along with key information and equipment necessary to give kids the proper education, which was missing.
Their solution, according to that letter, was to shut the school down.
Parents say they want the school to be open at least until the end of the school year, or they want transfer papers. That way their children can attend another school. The problem is, most schools are at capacity said one parent.
"As low-income families, we've had no representation," said mother of four Jennifer Hernandez. "I guess if we were in Coral Gables or in a different neighborhood it would be a little different but being here, no one cares," she said.
The Miami-Dade public school district said they have room for the students and they should be able to enroll in their home schools.
"Can you imagine how difficult this is as a parent and all the sudden not have a school? We have to provide a lot of empathy, understand where they sit right now, where they are and we're going to get their kids, we're going to get their beautiful children in school right away," said Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Jose Dotres.
Since Allapattah Wynwood is a private school, they report directly to the Florida Department of Education. Hernandez says they've reached out multiple times to no avail.
Fonseca, who was terminated on December 2nd, says he came out Monday in support of the families. He said he hopes things can be fixed soon.
"The only person that can resolve this problem and to open the school back up to its status is, his name is William Fonseca, which is my brother," he said.
CBS Miami has reached out to Daniel Milian, the school attorney, to see if there is any new information about when the school might reopen. We have not heard back.
