Nearly every parent and teacher who went up to the podium Tuesday night offered a different statistic about the students at Bennion Elementary School in downtown Salt Lake City.
More than a quarter are homeless. At least 30 children live at the nearby women’s shelter for domestic violence victims a few blocks away. Nearly 65 percent are minorities.
Blackbear’s son, Robert, twirled around the microphone as she spoke, grabbing her hand and flipping his long braided hair, which is part of the family’s American Indian heritage. He and his brother Izaak, both 6, go to the elementary school.