Johnny_Blaze_47
10-14-2007, 03:39 PM
This will end well.
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http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-10-10-0009.html
A group of parents angered by a letter sent home from schools has formulated questions for Bristol Virginia school officials
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 - 01:40 AM
By Khristopher J. Brooks
BRISTOL, Va. – A small group of Virginia Middle School parents would like to have a few words with city school officials, particularly Superintendent Doug Arnold.
They want to discuss a controversial letter sent home last week that singled out black students and students with disabilities.
In the letter attached to student report cards last Wednesday, school administrators explained that some of the middle school’s black students and students with disabilities didn’t score high enough on their statewide reading and math exams – respectively. And the low scores prevented the school from attaining yearly progress in the No Child Left Behind program.
After reading the one-page letter, many parents were outraged at its wording. About 30 parents met Tuesday night at Lee Street Baptist Church to discuss how they might approach school leaders about the issue later this month.
After two hours of sometime heated discussion, the parents decided that a small group of them will ask school officials for a meeting before the Nov. 5 School Board meeting to discuss how to rectify the letter and its perceived intent.
"We would like an apology – that’d be nice – but we know it won’t be sincere," said Kathy Bunche, one of the angry parents.
Tuesday’s gathering was led by Jackie Nophlin and W.A. Johnson of the Lee Street church. The two developed an agenda, and, after the discussion, determined that seven people will draft a letter asking to meet with school officials.
If granted, the group said they will ask why the letter was sent home via students, why it was worded in such a way, and how will the middle school staff go about bringing up the failing students.
"Now the pressure is back on them," Nophlin said. "We’re going to make this right for our kids."
Group members said they hope to have a meeting with Arnold and board members to answer their questions before more parents become angry and turnout in mass at the Nov. 5 School Board meeting.
"The reason I mention the Nov. 5 meeting is because that’s when the board members meet, and there’s a spot for public comment and you can get on the docket to speak," Nophlin said.
The Tuesday meeting started with about eight people, but as the discussion ensued, more parents began to file in. White and black parents from both sides of the Twin City sat in to hear the group’s plan.
"The one’s who aren’t in the [Bristol Virginia] school system are here because they can’t believe the audacity that a letter like this would go out," Nophlin said.
The letter states: "Based on the preliminary data released by the Virginia Department of Education, Bristol Virginia Public Schools did not make AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress] for 2007-2008 in reading performance by black students,"
"Virginia Middle School did not make AYP in reading performance by black students and math performance by students with disabilities. All other schools within the division made AYP," the letter states.
School officials last week said they included the information just as it was received from state education officials.
The preliminary results stated that 66.1 percent of black students at the middle school met the passing objective instead of a federal benchmark of 73 percent. Only 52.8 percent of students with disabilities passed their mathematics portion, the data indicate.
Parents spent a good portion of Tuesday evening explaining to each other the intricate details of evaluating student subgroups under the federal No Child Left Behind Act and why school systems have to focus on the different academically struggling segments within a student body.
"A lot of parents have been calling [the school board office] trying to get information about what’s going on," Johnson said.
The parents said they can understand that those students who didn’t pass their tests made the entire school miss its benchmark, but the letter should not have blatantly pointed it out for everyone in the school to see.
"I’m not trying to intentionally call this a racist situation, but in my heart, I truly think it is," said Valerie Fugate.
[email protected] | (276) 645-2549
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http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-10-10-0009.html
A group of parents angered by a letter sent home from schools has formulated questions for Bristol Virginia school officials
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 - 01:40 AM
By Khristopher J. Brooks
BRISTOL, Va. – A small group of Virginia Middle School parents would like to have a few words with city school officials, particularly Superintendent Doug Arnold.
They want to discuss a controversial letter sent home last week that singled out black students and students with disabilities.
In the letter attached to student report cards last Wednesday, school administrators explained that some of the middle school’s black students and students with disabilities didn’t score high enough on their statewide reading and math exams – respectively. And the low scores prevented the school from attaining yearly progress in the No Child Left Behind program.
After reading the one-page letter, many parents were outraged at its wording. About 30 parents met Tuesday night at Lee Street Baptist Church to discuss how they might approach school leaders about the issue later this month.
After two hours of sometime heated discussion, the parents decided that a small group of them will ask school officials for a meeting before the Nov. 5 School Board meeting to discuss how to rectify the letter and its perceived intent.
"We would like an apology – that’d be nice – but we know it won’t be sincere," said Kathy Bunche, one of the angry parents.
Tuesday’s gathering was led by Jackie Nophlin and W.A. Johnson of the Lee Street church. The two developed an agenda, and, after the discussion, determined that seven people will draft a letter asking to meet with school officials.
If granted, the group said they will ask why the letter was sent home via students, why it was worded in such a way, and how will the middle school staff go about bringing up the failing students.
"Now the pressure is back on them," Nophlin said. "We’re going to make this right for our kids."
Group members said they hope to have a meeting with Arnold and board members to answer their questions before more parents become angry and turnout in mass at the Nov. 5 School Board meeting.
"The reason I mention the Nov. 5 meeting is because that’s when the board members meet, and there’s a spot for public comment and you can get on the docket to speak," Nophlin said.
The Tuesday meeting started with about eight people, but as the discussion ensued, more parents began to file in. White and black parents from both sides of the Twin City sat in to hear the group’s plan.
"The one’s who aren’t in the [Bristol Virginia] school system are here because they can’t believe the audacity that a letter like this would go out," Nophlin said.
The letter states: "Based on the preliminary data released by the Virginia Department of Education, Bristol Virginia Public Schools did not make AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress] for 2007-2008 in reading performance by black students,"
"Virginia Middle School did not make AYP in reading performance by black students and math performance by students with disabilities. All other schools within the division made AYP," the letter states.
School officials last week said they included the information just as it was received from state education officials.
The preliminary results stated that 66.1 percent of black students at the middle school met the passing objective instead of a federal benchmark of 73 percent. Only 52.8 percent of students with disabilities passed their mathematics portion, the data indicate.
Parents spent a good portion of Tuesday evening explaining to each other the intricate details of evaluating student subgroups under the federal No Child Left Behind Act and why school systems have to focus on the different academically struggling segments within a student body.
"A lot of parents have been calling [the school board office] trying to get information about what’s going on," Johnson said.
The parents said they can understand that those students who didn’t pass their tests made the entire school miss its benchmark, but the letter should not have blatantly pointed it out for everyone in the school to see.
"I’m not trying to intentionally call this a racist situation, but in my heart, I truly think it is," said Valerie Fugate.
[email protected] | (276) 645-2549