(03-01) 09:08 PST Providence, R.I. (AP) -- President Barack Obama says a Rhode Island school that recently fired all its educators is an example of how there needs to be accountability.
He made the comments Monday in Washington at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He called for "accountability" if a school continually fails its students without improvement.
He said that is what happened at Central Falls High School, where the school district's board of trustees voted last week to fire 93 teachers, administrators and other staff. No more than half could be hired back under federal law.
Obama pointed out that just 7 percent of students at the high school have tested proficient in math.
A spokesman for the teachers union said he couldn't immediately comment on Obama's remarks. Education Secretary Arne Duncan backed the firings last week.
