Ultimately, Processes need to change for the better. Transparency concerning school choice selection process etc is key. Here is the problem: Administration is accountable to themselves. They answer to the people they respect. I know this as a parent who made efforts to communicate with Leon county administrators about the school options available for my child with special needs who was transferring from a different state. Straight forward questions were not addressed. Emails and requests to forward rights of the student ignored. Violations of IDEA occurred. I contacted Hanna and his secretary for support/guidance with lower level admin and there was no response. Have to assume that incompetence—in addition to race/class privilege in racially segregated Tallahassee matters here. That said, Hanna and his colleagues will find that what is done in the dark is usually exposed, at some point, for all to see with sparkling clarity.

You are asserting the parent and probably any parent who complains is irresponsible and her/their child should have been removed. If she was so irresponsible and incompetent at parenting I don’t think she would be showing up at a school board meeting with documents in hand. Like I said, common sense.

Please enlighten….

You missed the point completely.

I can completely understand the fine point of the effort that it takes to get your child in the proper school and the obstacles you have to go through in order to secure them a position in that establishment. I am not taking anything away that. The point of the matter here is that they are trying make this a racial issue. Why not look at ALL the children who have been revoked and the reasoning’s behind them. I work in the medical field and see that people jump through hoops to get insurance and still are not compliant. So common sense it not required to look at this matter, nor in any way deserve praise if you do not follow through with the contract signed. If the child is having attendance issues it is NOT the job of the attendance personnel to chase behind the hundreds of students that attend that school to find out why they are not coming. It is the parents responsibility to keep good lines of communication with the school if they expect a positive outcome. So why does the parent not do THEIR JOB and turn in excuse slips and if it is a medical issue bring in proper documentation pertaining to that, if it is a family issue talk to the counselors at the school. I have written many excuse letters and one child I know comes to therapy every Thursday and there is not issue with the school administration or teachers. They are willing to work with you as long as you do your portion. Sometimes we have to HELP ourselves and not expect others to do it!

I believe that these students were denied school choice for next year. There would have to be something gregarious happen for them to boot the students towards the end of the year. School choice decisions went out the beginning of April. It sounds like the parents of the students who were denied to return next year have been trying about that long to be heard and this was the first school board meeting since School Choice decisions went out.

Themes, it defies common sense that a parent would go to the trouble of researching school choice, meet the deadline for filing paperwork and give up free transportation (ie have to get their child to school) only to not have their child attend? And then to have the courage to put together documentation and show up at a school board meeting and risk being the subject of public news discussions? Yes let’s look at this brave, motivated parent who tried to get a child out of a failing school and a better chance in life and then talk about how its all her fault. These administrators need to understand that education is a right and tossing a kid in the middle of the year is harmful. Instead lease do your job and find out why they aren’t coming to school (sickness, family emergency?) and HELP them.