The Brooklyn Chinese American Alliance organized a protest in front of Lafayette High School in Brooklyn on February 20. About 200 Chinese and non-Chinese protesters attended the rally in response to the Department of Education's intention to create three new small schools at the Lafayette site. Protesters said that the decision did not reflect the needs of new immigrant students. About 60 Lafayette students and dozens of members from the Alliance held up posters and called out “International School, that's the way to go!”

Melody Meyer, a spokesperson of the Department of Education, said afterwards that the distress of the community has been heard. There are many good international schools in Brooklyn and New York that will accept new immigrant students.

Steven Cheung, president of the Alliance, State Assemblymen William Colton and N. Nick Perry, John Choe, who represented City Councilman John Liu, Khin Mei Aung, staff attorney of the Asian American Legal and Education Defense Fund, and a representative of the New York Immigration Coalition, all said that in an immigrant city like New York, schools should reflect the needs of its communities.

Jinjie Yu, a senior at Lafayette who came to the United States only two years ago, said that new immigrant students need a bilingual curriculum. He came to the protest to protect his and other students' rights. Yu said that although he had finished high school in China, language difficulties here had slowed him down and compelled him to study another two years in high school.

Yu and Yushi Dei, also students, pointed out that many students were not aware that no bilingual classes would be offered at the three new schools. They both knew students, who due to deficiencies in English, lagged behind in the class and eventually dropped out. Those without a college degree find it very hard to get a job in the future, let alone pursuing their American Dream.

Huilan Chen, a sophomore student at the Columbia University and a councilor at the Lafayette, said that she has seen first hand the need of bilingual education after counseling many students.

N. Nick Perry said he came from Jamaica and understood how difficult it is to learn high school courses in a new language.

Steven Cheung said that the No Child Left Behind policy should apply to new immigrant students, and pointed to the need for school designated to educate these students properly.

Colton said that the purpose of the protest is simply to let the Department of Education understand the dissatisfaction of the community. There will be more follow-up actions to express the needs of the community. The Chinese community really wants to see the creation of an international school.