Students Being Turned Away From Schools
As the school year begins for students across the country, the routine for registration and preparation is no longer the same for Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans. With the one year anniversary approaching, parents who are trying to register their kids are facing several obstacles, including overcrowding or full schools and admissions requirements.
On Debra Smith's third attempt to enroll her younger sister in a public high school here last week, patience evaporated. For the student, disappointment turned into tears. Ms. Smith said the school her sister, now a 10th grader, attended before Hurricane Katrina - one of just five the city is still operating - turned her away because of poor grades. Two other options were full.
Before Katrina, the failing schools in the designated Recovery School District began to implement a plan to alleviate schools from academic crisis and help them to meet national performance standards and match state graduation rate. But, because of the late planning, an unexpectedly higher number of students returning to Recovery District schools, and an unclear designation between the number of charter schools and public school, state officials are now questioning whether this desired achievement will be possible.
"We've created the most balkanized school system in North America," said Lance Hill, director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University. "The average parent is mystified." Many reserve their harshest criticism for the Recovery District.
Dr. Robin Jarvis is the superintendent of the Recovery District. Out of the 17 schools in the Recovery District, 9 are already filled to capacity. For charter schools in particular, who have the ability to determine which students they enroll, the state added a clause to their contracts in May requiring them to admit a percentage of students with disabilities out of fear that these students may not be given the same consideration.
"That's hurting to your heart when a child says, 'Mama, I want to go to school,' and you can't find one," said Yvonne Thompson, who is raising a 14-year-old granddaughter who needs special - education classes. Standing outside a registration center, Ms. Thompson added, "I don't understand what's going on."
With all of the trials and tribulations that parents have faced in the after math of Hurricane Katrina, many feel that there should have been special emphasis placed on the kids and ensuring their education. Some have been displaced from their homes, lost family members, and are staying with relatives because they are still separated from their parents. This Republican administration should have put more effort into helping our citizens rebuild their lives and our country.
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