Fed Up With Failing School, Parents Take Over

A new state law in California allows a majority of parents to essentially take over a failing school. CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy continues the series "Reading, Writing and Reform."

Some parents of students at McKinley elementary in Compton, Calif., are fed up It's a tough town and the school is one of the worst in the state - ranked in the bottom 10 percent.

Shemika Murphy says her 2nd grader is still reading at a 1st grade level. She signed the petition along with 62 percent of McKinley parents, forcing the school district to make it a charter school - publicly funded but privately run.

It's the first use of California's so-called "Parent Trigger Law" where a majority of parents can demand a school shut down, change staff, or become a charter.

"We want it to be peaceful," Murphy said. "We're not trying to start a war, we just want a better education for our children."

But it has become a nasty fight. Some parents now say they were tricked or intimidated into signing the petition. If enough of them withdraw their signatures, this whole trigger effort could backfire.

Parent Lee Finnie said, "I've heard countless, dozens of accounts of misleading, lying."

Yet, those calling for reform say they're the ones being threatened - told their kids will be kicked out of school or parents could be deported.

Marlene Romero, parent of a 3rd grader said, "It's sad how my son told me last night that he hated me because of all this -- what I'm doing."

Governor Schwarzenegger is now calling for an investigation. Parents are getting support from Michelle Rhee, former head of Washington, DC's schools and the darling of the reform movement.

"If what we want is more parental involvement, then when the parents get involved," Rhee said. "You can't create a hostile environment."

McKinley teachers say they are shell-shocked given that their state test scores have jumped nearly 13 percent in two years.

David Gilmer, who teaches 3rd grade said, "It is very hurtful to see how hard we work here and then hear the rest of the country talk about us as if we're doing nothing. We're a great school, we're on the mend."

But some parents say their kids can't afford to wait for bad to get better.