I have written on the subject of jailing Parents before as
it relates to matters in Education. The jailing of Parents in this instance and
due to the fact that some Parents have faced prosecution and/or jailed because
they enrolled their children in schools other than the assigned school within
or outside their own school district in an effort to seek quality Education for
their child/ren is ludicrous and it will continue. Such tells us two things-
1)Promulgation that most Parents do not care about their child/ren’s education
are false and incorrect; Parents who do not care about their children’s
education do not go to such extents. In fact many situations of this type
occur; they simply do not make the news and 2) Choices of this nature or
similar ones will be made by many Parents, because they have worked too hard in
an effort to provide for their child/ren’s needs to watch their efforts and
their children’s deferred dreams and goals for a quality education go down the
drain; some will willingly accept the risk of jail.
Parents, prior to making a decision that may lead to or land
you in jail, let me offer eight (8)
suggestions that you may want to consider, first.
1.
Document and keep a record of your concerns;
actions or lack of, taken by all involved; those with whom you correspond and all
responses.
2.
Should you desire to enroll your child in a
different school, discuss your concerns and request for a school transfer with
your child/ren’s School Principal; he/she may be instrumental in assisting and/or
pulling some strings to get your child in a school better equipped for his/her needs.
3.
Should the school Principal not be able to
assist, discuss your concerns and request for a school transfer with
Administrators at the School System/District Level.
4.
It helps to be an involved Parent with the
school and/or PTA/PTO.
5.
Depending
on the involvement and knowledge of your school’s PTA/PTO President, you may want
to discuss and garner assistance from this individual or body.
6.
Inquire and obtain a copy of policy or law as
well as the rights and alternatives for Parents and their children when your
child’s assigned school does not meet education proficiency standards.
7.
Should you be told that to allow your child to
transfer or enroll into another school would induce other Parents requesting the
same; inquire as to the specific number that have made the request? If, the
Administrator cannot provide information to support his/her argument; it is not
a bona fide argument at this point. Should there be a substantial number, then
one could conclude that real problems exist with the school.
8.
As for the argument that Parents are stealing
services and/or an Education when Parents enroll their children outside their
assigned schools and/or districts; perhaps someone should inquire and collect
data as to
a.
Whether monies collected from taxpayers are
limited to paying only for services within the community of which they live?
b.
What particular school district and/or community
does one belong when without a home or homeless?
Parents are busy,
struggling often to juggle a plethora of responsibilities in an effort to care
for their families; fighting to obtain a quality education for one’s child/ren
should not be a struggle.
We need to provide Educators with all that are necessary to
operate, maintain, and advance education as they provide a quality education
for all children at all schools; or give Parents Choice and funding to place their
children where they can best be educated; and certainly as aforementioned,
without Parents landing in jail for doing so.
Mrs. Dorothy Barron, Founder
E-mail: barron.dorothy@yahoo.com
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