Students, parents and staff from four BPS schools came out to demonstrate against closure proposals, chanting their disapproval outside the district headquarters before marching in to pack a Boston School Committee meeting Wednesday night.

“I every day tell my kids to fight for what they believe in,” Lee Academy parent Jason Lambright said to a crowd gathered outside the BPS headquarters at the Bruce Bolling Building. “And this is something I strongly believe in. Our kids deserve a good education. Our kids deserve teachers that know them by first name.”

Dozens of community members from Lee Academy, Another Course to College (ACC), Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH) and the Henderson K-12 Inclusion School came out at 5 p.m. before a School Committee meeting, fighting to keep their schools open.

The School Committee is due to vote on a plan to close Lee Academy, CASH, ACC and the high school portion of the Henderson at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Speakers from the schools, who flocked inside after the rally to speak during the School Committee meeting, spoke of the value of smaller schools with personalized care and specialized inclusion and other programs.

“I’ve never got used to a space so well, and I already feel comfortable with this school,” said CASH freshman class president Vanessa. “It’s really sad that I can’t spend my next three years here.”

The class president read off testimonies from her peers, with students noting the value of the small school community for those of them with special education needs or those who were new to the country.

“In many schools, students with disabilities are routinely pulled out from electives,” said Henderson arts teacher Emily Frank. “At the Henderson they learn alongside their peers. In that environment, I’ve witnessed some of the most powerful moments of collaboration, of empathy and discovery in my career and moments that only happen because inclusion is protected, not sacrificed.”

Though the district has promised students “high quality options elsewhere,” Frank said, the plan would “strip Boston’s most vulnerable young people of the only inclusive place that is built for them.”

A Henderson alum argued the school’s model of co-teaching, inclusion and emotional support systems are vital to the district, saying even if the closure goes through a “shutdown should not erase the Henderson’s success.”

The Henderson teacher and others demanded answers from the BPS leadership about the district’s plans for closures and more information on the decisions.

Several speakers noted other BPS schools have seen major renovations in recent years or undergone mergers rather than closures, with some arguing the schools in Dorchester and Hyde Park should get the same resources as those in downtown or West Roxbury.

“If my building isn’t up to your standards, then why not build me another like you’ve done?” said Lee Academy family liaison Giovanna Tovar. “My families are asking to come to us, to have more grades. They’re choosing us. They’re asking for more. You’re closing us. That doesn’t correlate at all.”

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Lee Academy parent Esther said the community will “continue to fight back for the smaller schools.”

Rallygoers passed around petitions to keep each school open during the gathering. Another demonstration will be held ahead of the Dec. 17 vote.

“CASH is my home,” said student Joshua Butler. “CASH is my family. It is sad to hear that you want to break up my home, my support. Don’t close CASH.”