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Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2011 5:35 am
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To the Editor:
Rep. Rick Womick (R-Murfreesboro) needs to apologize to no one.
And he definitely does not need to resign. We can cite example after example of those Muslims who obviously entered the military purposely to do harm to American soldiers and quite possibly to be spies.
If you all have forgotten, we are at war with the radicals Islamists all over the world. We are not fighting the Catholics or the Baptists or any other religion, but we are fighting radical Islamist who just happens to all be Muslim.
Is there a connection of sorts?
Leah Jaeger
2418 River Oaks Drive, Murfreesboro
To the Editor:
I am a parent of a child who will be attending Kindergarten in Rutherford County Schools next fall.
Like most parents, I’ve been researching schools trying to find the best fit for my son. We have looked at private, county and city, which include the magnet, Campus and Discovery schools. After reading all of the articles and comments on each of them, I decided to check them out.
The first thing that I noticed about Campus School was the office staff, sitting around laughing and chatting like a bunch of high school girls.
This was my first impression of this school.
My husband informed them we were requesting information on kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year.
The secretary informed us that there was already a huge waiting list for that year and my chances of getting in were slim.
We requested a tour and to be put on a waiting list.
She took down our information and said someone would call to set it up. No one ever called.
Finally, in October, someone did call. She said a message had been given to her, and she was calling back.
Since I wasn’t expecting a call, I was caught off guard and at first didn’t remember leaving a message.
She asked me if I called to see if my son was on the waiting list?
I said sure.
When she came back to the phone, I was informed that my son was not on the list. She then told me that I should have filled out a form and that I would have had a yellow copy.
Of course, they didn’t tell me that last May. We decided to go and talk to the principal this November. We still wanted information on the school, a tour and to be placed on a waiting list.
When we arrived, it was the same scene as last May.
A member of the office staff quickly informed us the principal wasn’t in and all tours were given after school hours. Oh, and by the way, the tours are done around her child’s activities schedule.
She told us what forms we needed to bring back to be put on the waiting list.
Finally, we asked how many were on the waiting list for the 2012-2013 year. She said it was a very long list and that 2013-2014 also had a waiting list of 75.
Considering they only take 60 students, I guess my child wasn’t getting in next year or the year after that. She said I should hold my child back a year. So, now the staff at Campus School encourages parents to hold children back just to get into their school.
I called back a few days later to speak with the principal.
Before the secretary transferred us to her, we again asked how many children were on the waiting list for 2013-2014 and touring information. This time she said the waiting list consisted of 35.
Please tell me how the waiting list numbers decreased in a week by half. The same lady told us most children have already had a year of Kindergarten upon entering into their school.
I didn’t understand why parents would want to hold their children back when this is not a magnet program. Also she told me it was Campus Schools policy not to do tours during school hours.
I then questioned her for clarification is this school policy or county policy? She said she didn’t really know that’s just what she’s been told to say.
What makes Campus School teachers different from other county school teacher and why can’t I see the teachers in action. I left messages for the principal that day and again this week.
She has yet to return my call. I understand she must be busy but Discovery School and Thurman Francis principals called me back the same day I left a message.
A basic overview of the school should be given so a parent could get a real feel of what a typical school day might be like.
Parents need to get a first-hand look at a typical day and ask questions. Also if you call the board of education to get clarification on admissions process or policy, you are referred to the schools attorney.
I don’t understand why I was transferred to her. It makes it look like Rutherford County is trying to hide something.
I believe a parent is the first educator in a child’s life. Its our job to support our teachers and not point fingers.
We should not expect teachers to do all of the work, but they should be held accountable.
County or city politics should not enter into the admissions process, but it happens everyday.
We should be setting examples and demanding the best education for our children.
Thank you to the newspaper for reporting what’s going on with Rutherford County education.
Stephanie Carter
Murfreesboro |
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