Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and BrainPOP Release 'Take Your Parents to Vote Day'

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and BrainPOP Release 'Take Your Parents to Vote Day'

Online Educational Content Company Creates Animated Film Asking Children to Take Their Parents to the Polls on Election Day

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein joined BrainPOP Chief Operating Officer Michael Salort and I.S. 93 Principal George Foley at I.S. 93 Ridgewood Intermediate School in Queens today to announce "Take Your Parents to Vote Day," a new online movie-short produced by BrainPOP, a producer of animated films for elementary and middle school students.

Chancellor Klein and Russell Simmons, the president and founder of Phat Farm Clothing, are the stars of the cartoon, which urges students in New York City and around the country to vote on Tuesday, November 7. The six-minute movie is available free online at www.brainpop.com. A Spanish version is available at http://es.brainpop.com/.

"Participation, not observation, is what makes our democracy tick," Chancellor Klein said. "I urge all New Yorkers, particularly young voters, to take a stand this Tuesday and exercise one of their most critical rights and responsibilities."

"The suggestion to create a movie about voting actually came from one of our users, a child who was curious about the current news coverage revolving around the mid-term elections," said Mr. Salort. "So we were thrilled to work with Chancellor Klein and Russell Simmons to create a movie that would not only help boost voter turnout this year but would educate future voters about the importance of the election process."

"With freedom comes great responsibility," Mr. Simmons said. "Voting is not an act that adults should take lightly, and it is a duty that we should want all our children to emulate. Whether you vote Republican, Democrat or Independent, the fact that so many have taken on the courageous fight to ensure that Blacks, women, immigrants and others can vote in this country should be reason enough for all citizens to go to the polls."

BrainPOP currently works with 30 Department of Education schools, including I.S. 93, and 250 schools statewide. It produces educational films in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Contact: David Cantor (DOE) -- (212) 374-5141

Lupe Todd / Kylene Sullivan (BrainPOP) -- (212) 685-4300

Source: BrainPOP

CONTACT: David Cantor, of DOE, +1-212-374-5141; Lupe Todd or Kylene
Sullivan, both of BrainPOP, +1-212-685-4300

Web site: http://www.brainpop.com/
http://es.brainpop.com/

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