Chapters 16 and 17 Summary

Chapter 16 - When he arrives at the board meeting, Mr. Jordan is surprised to see so many people there. In addition to the other three members of the board, all the students are there, as well as their parents and several other members of the community. As he tries to explain that he'd closed the school because there wasn't enough time to find a replacement for Miss Fletcher and the fact that the students were trespassing, other board members take the situation less seriously. At one point Ida stands to speak, in spite of Mr. Jordan's objections but with the support of the other members of the board. She explains why she and the other students decided to carry on with the school, how everything is decided by majority vote, and explains the conditions imposed by Miss Sedgwick. She concludes by...