Leaders gathered on Monday morning to say that the school district has been failing students for decades and they’re demanding change.

Right now, RCSD’s on-time graduation rate sits at 55%, with one in three students chronically absent.

“Let’s take this report, let’s take the response, let’s take our collective action and do something different,” said Mayor Warren, “Something that we’ve never done here before and if that’s all the way the extreme, then I’m ready to go there.”

“I think it’s easy to try and solve problems when you’re outside it,” said Beatriz Lebron of the city’s school board, “You don’t understand all the layers that happen within the district and why certain things and decisions are made.”

The State Education Commissioner is expected to make a decision on the future of Rochester schools in the next few weeks.