- Jennifer Lopez supported her alma mater in an Instagram Stories post on Monday
- Preston High School in Bronx, N.Y., is set to close its doors at the end of the school year
- Students and alumni have been voicing their disapproval since the announcement
Jennifer Lopez is using her voice for a good cause.
On Monday, April 14, the multi-hyphenate went on her Instagram Stories to share a message of support for her alma mater, Preston High School in the Bronx, N.Y., which is set to close its doors at the end of the school year.
“As a proud alumna of Preston High School, I am deeply moved to see the students, families, and local officials making their voices heard during this challenging time. I see and hear you,” wrote Lopez, 55.
“The support from the community is truly inspiring, and I hope they can find a path forward that honors the school’s legacy. #PrestonForever,” her statement continued.
Lopez wrote her statement next to two throwback photos of her high school days. One showed her wearing a jacket with the school’s emblem, while another showed her running track.
According to its website, Preston High School is an all-girls private Catholic college preparatory school founded in 1947 by the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. Lopez graduated from the school in 1987, per The New York Times.
After announcing in February that it was closing its doors, the Preston High School Board of Trustees doubled down on its decision in a letter on its website in March, reiterating that it was shutting down “due to changing demographics, financial instability and lower enrollment which has decreased by 30% in the past 13 years.”
Noting that it had seen an “external, concerted effort to reverse the decision,” the board of trustees said, “We must reiterate that the decision to close is final.”
“The leadership of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion [the owners of the school] support this decision. We will not be entertaining any circumstances that would alter this fact. We do not want to foster false hope that the ongoing ‘save the school’ attempts will reverse the closing of the school,” the letter continued.
The Sisters of the Divine Compassion also defended the decision in a sit-down interview with News 12 – The Bronx.
According to the Bronx Times, last week, New York State Attorney General Letitia James listened to more than three hours of testimony from various generations of women who attended the school.
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James held the hearing after being contacted by supporters of the school regarding the Sisters of the Divine Compassion’s decision to turn down an offer from the Bally’s Foundation to help save the school, seemingly without any explanation, Bronx Times reports.
The offer involved the foundation buying the school for $8.5 million and contributing an additional $1.5 million to repair any “aging infrastructure,” according to the outlet.
Under the offer, the foundation would lease the property to Preston High School for 25 years at $1 per year, with the option for the school to buy it in the future. The New York Times reported that James said her office would offer a “thorough analysis” of the situation with the school.
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While the Sisters of the Divine Compassion did not have a representative present at the hearing, a letter was read on the record in which they said they would cooperate with the attorney general’s inquiry, per the outlet.
PEOPLE reached out to the Sisters of the Divine Compassion for comment.
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