Letter To The Editor: First priority should be our children

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 3, 2019

The flagrant disregard for the welfare of our children is a very serious indictment against our civilization. As schools are preparing to open their doors to a new school y ear, this is a reminder that public schools, by law must engage with stakeholders of the communities.

In this parish, it seems that recognizing parents/guardians as a stakeholder has not been defined by administration to its full potential.

At this time last year, administration had a simple goal — to provide every child a better future with five areas of priority for the school year. Most important was the implementation of standards-based assessments to monitor student progress towards goals.

The administration continues to say we have the ingredients and recipe right here in our Parish! Everyone must have high expectations of themselves and of others. If we all do our jobs well, we change the trajectory of thousands of lives. We do not take responsibility lightly. What happened to the parent/guardian engagement responsibility?

What happened to being on the cusp of greatness in St. John the Baptist Parish and walking hand-in-hand and doing this together?

Parents, there is a lot that is missing on our part. We must step up our efforts to protect our children and demand our voices be heard and our actions respected.

Education leaders in the past started an approach to reform that focused on the entire educational system to ensure that change takes place in an integrated way, rather than progressing in a piecemeal fashion.

We must come to a realization of how the story of education in Louisiana unfolds. Let us remember this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability; change comes because we make it happen.”

Contrary to what some believe, The Constitution of Louisiana dictates that the State must be responsible for educating its citizens. The Federal Government states that there must be engagement with stakeholders (not some) parents/guardians and community .

The Parish School system must see that the assurance of these laws is followed.

The changes in education since the development of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) have left this parish and the children in our schools blindsided, by too many changes without explanations. Ricky would be telling Lucy at this point, “You have some ‘splaining to do”. How about in 1974 when NASA had to devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely, concerns arose and the phrase, “Houston, we have a problem,” became famous.

Parents/guardians of St. John the Baptist Parish school system, we can do this. We must do this. We must come together for the future of our children.

 

Citizen Jean,
Carolyn Jean Batiste