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9486 in the collection
Parents thwarted in seeking transfer of kids
Ohanian Comment" I didn't understand this e-mail I received until I looked up the story behind it. First the e-mail, then the story.
Sept. 11, 2007
To whom it may concern,
It is so sad that these politicians sell out their own children and send
them to the back of the bus in order to further their own political career
by getting support of the teacher unions and other public education lobby
groups. Public education has more paid professional lobbyists in Jefferson
City than any other industry. And they are all there to protect their jobs.
No one is at the Capitol lobbying for the students.
The law focuses on the wealthy education. Look at Florida and Washington DC offer school choice,HB-498 the Milton Friedman Foundation,HB-808 Betty L. Thompson scholarship program and SB-618 Put parents in charge of Education Laws. Our Representative and Legislature fail to pass the law for School Choice. Are they afraid that we might excel beyond there children's. I refuse to give up, our fore father's set the foundation, for freedom of education and justice.
Thanks for the pitiful and even inaccurate concerns. We don't have vouchers and neighboring districts are not accepting students from unaccredited districts and we all know this. I hope that you will respond back from his or her "active pursuit of alternatives to help our children".
We just need to expand it so that when a school district is unaccredited,
like mine is, my child gets to choose a public or private school outside of
my failing district.
Now I ask you one simple question. WILL YOU WORK AND SUPPORT THAT, SO THAT
OUR CHILDREN HAVE SOME HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. They can't wait.
WILL YOU PROMISE ME YOU WILL WORK FOR AND VOTE FOR OUR CHILDREN TO ATTEND A
PRIVATE SCHOOL SINCE NOT ONE OF THE 25 COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL ACCEPT
HONOR ROLL STUDENTS. Shame, Shame, Shame?
SINCE YOU CAN FIGHT TO CHANGE THE LAW OF TAKING PRAY OUT OF SCHOOL AND ALSO
TAKING "GOD WE TRUST OFF" THE MONEY. YOU SURELY CAN FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN A
PRODUCTIVE FUTURE.
P.S Don't take it personal, but it's all about our the children's future
Concern Parent
Saint Louis, Missouri
Francello Mccoy-(314) 868-9310
Parents thwarted in seeking transfer of kids
By Paul Hampel
Reggie and Francello McCoy, like a lot of parents, have been trying to get their children out of failing schools.
Their district, Riverview Gardens, has been in academic and financial shambles. The former superintendent faces felony charges for stealing and tax evasion.
In June, the McCoys thought they had found a way out when the state declared Riverview Gardens unaccredited. But they soon found doors closing instead of opening.
For the McCoys, and tens of thousands of other local families in unaccredited public schools, exploring their options is frustrating — and time is running out. School starts Thursday in Riverview Gardens.
They are finding that laws meant to help them salvage their children's educations sound better on paper than in practice.
Under Missouri law, students in unaccredited school districts such as Riverview Gardens and St. Louis can transfer to a better district in an adjoining county. And the districts they leave have to pay tuition at their new school.
The problem: Other districts don't have to admit them.
The McCoys, a family on a tight budget, can't afford private tuition. A transfer out of the district seemed like the only option for their daughters, Fernetta, 14, who wants to be an architect, and Remeika, 17, who aims to be a pediatrician.
IMPROVEMENTS PROMISED
The McCoys met with Riverview Gardens administrators in early July to discuss pulling their daughters out of the district.
"They tried to convince us to stay," said Reggie McCoy, 42. "They promised they would improve things."
His daughters had complained for years that they did not feel challenged in the district. More often, they felt intimidated.
Fernetta will be a freshman this fall. She told of eighth-grade boys at Westview Middle School who routinely threatened staff last year and once locked a teacher out of class for an entire period.
Remeika recalled security guards spraying Mace to break up a fight in her classroom.
Mostly, the girls told of students who were not engaged in the lessons and of teachers who seemed powerless to do anything about it.
Natalie Thomas, one of two interim superintendents running the district, declined to comment on the allegations.
"I won't respond to anecdotal reports," she said. "But I can tell you that we are making efforts to bolster and improve our curriculum and discipline this fall."
Thomas said the district is moving administrators into classrooms to help out. And it is relocating the district's chief of security from the administration building to the high school.
Unconvinced, Francello McCoy, 43, called nearby schools in three counties.
From Hillsboro to Wentzville — 25 in all, according to Francello — the answer was the same: None was accepting Riverview Gardens children, unless parents paid tuition themselves.
"I found out that the law says other districts have the right to deny or reject" students from unaccredited districts, Francello said. "But when students are in a crisis like this, can't someone have the decency to help them out?"
APPEALS FOR HELP
The family pleaded its case to numerous officials and agencies, all the way to Gov. Matt Blunt. Francello saved the polite replies.
State Sen. Timothy P. Green, D-Spanish Lake, wrote, in part: "Thank you for caring and being an active participant."
From Don Senti, superintendent of the Clayton School District: "I understand your anxiety. It is clear that you want the best for your daughters."
Jim Morris, spokesman for Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, wrote: "Although we cannot help you with this matter, I understand your concerns and your frustration. You are not alone."
Indeed, the McCoys are not alone.
In March, the state stripped the St. Louis Public Schools, the state's largest district, of accreditation. The district's 32,000 students and any other school-age children in St. Louis are eligible to transfer out.
St. Louis parents peppered accredited school districts with requests to move their children. Like the McCoys, they found all doors closed.
The other districts have their reasons — a lack of space, a previous bad experience in taking Wellston students and not getting paid.
"The point is," said Senti, head of the Clayton district, "What would possess a county school board to take students from St. Louis when they can't financially handle the problem, and the state of Missouri will not guarantee tuition?"
Morris, with the state, has heard from scores of St. Louis and Riverview parents.
"I've been telling them that there's no other option, other than enrolling their children in a private school. But that's not a publicly funded option," he said.
The McCoys still have one card to play — moving.
"I thought we'd stay here forever," Reggie McCoy said. "But if I have to sell this house to help my girls, then I'll do it."
"But who," his wife interjected, "would want to move here, into Riverview?"
[You can see a pix of the McCoy family at the url below.]
— Paul Hampel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2007-08-13
http://tinyurl.com/2h7r63
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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