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After-School Music Program Faces Chopping Block
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As LAUSD faces more and more budget cuts, the school board will consider getting rid of an after-school music program for kids called Beyond the Bell.
The district-wide program, reports NBC Los Angeles, has reached 170,000 children over the years. They have music lessons and do their homework, and the program also serves as a safe place for kids to go who otherwise wouldn't have adult supervision.
"A lot of these kids would go back to empty apartments," said Frank Del Olmo Elementary School principal Eugene Hernandez. "They would go back to watching television instead of doing homework. They would probably join gangs. They would probably roam the neighborhoods...Having a place where they feel safe, that’s not going to be in existence anymore."
The program's fate will be determined in a vote tonight, and people who oppose eliminating Beyond the Bell will be there to protest.
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