LeBron James plans to open a public school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio for students at risk of falling behind in academics.
The I Promise School will open for elementary students in the fall of 2018 with support from James’ family foundation, according to plans revealed on Tuesday. It plans classes for students in third and fourth grades during its first year, and will expand to include grades 1 though 8 by 2022.
The school will draw students who “are at-risk in reading and who are in need of additional academic intervention before falling further behind their peers,” according to the LeBron James Family Foundation press statement.
Bron spoke about the school at an event Tuesday in a historic Akron theater. “Even though I was underprivileged,” he said, he was lucky to grow up with mentors, his mother and close friends.
“They would not let me get off course,” he said. ”A lot of the kids I see today in the community and all over the world are not lucky enough to have the same mentors and the same people around that can help their dreams become reality.”
The I Promise School aims to provide a supportive environment for students who lack guidance, he continued.
“We definitely understand how important it is to create an environment where our most challenged and at risk students feel safe, supported an cared for,” said Akron Public Schools Superintendent David James.
Leave a Reply