A Parental SOS: Save Our Schools

If you want to see a really — and I mean REALLY — pissed off adult, mess with her/his kid. Nothing brings out the protective instinct like a perceived or real threat to a child.

In this case, the Parents United to Save the Cincinnati Public School System is a whole pack of pissed off parents you do NOT want to cross. This group is pulling no punches when it comes to tackling the issues being faced by CPS, and their Web site proves it.

Check "Clowns of the Week" and "Ways to Save CPS Today." The former grants the title of "The Clowny" to a familiar cast of characters — with one surprise:

• Rosa Blackwell, outgoing superintendent – dubbed “one of the most incompetent, inept and out of touch administrators in town, which is saying a lot!”
• Janet Walsh, information officer, singled out for “her lack of respect for parents”
• The entire board of education – all members, including the newly elected reformers, for failure to respond to the parents’ concerns about the school sign-up process
• An “unknown CPS Psychologist” – who told a parent her child would have to be “a genius” to get into kindergarten early, after saying, “I don't support this program.”

The criticisms are delivered with an e-mail address, phone number and/or snail-mail address for sharing your displeasure. Even though speaking out is recommended, under the call to action for saving the school there’s a warning up front about being ignored, specifically by the board of education.

Something that did stand out amid the obvious frustration and ranting is number two on the “Ways to Save CPS” list:

“Write Jeanette Oxender, chief of staff for the State of Ohio Department of Education. Ask her for an official state investigation of CPS's negligent fiscal polices, the continued violation of the law by CPS's refusal to address public records requests and the endangering of parents’ lives through the failed sign-up process that forces parents to camp outside for days on end in the middle of the winter. Ms. Oxender's contact information is:

Jeanette Oxender, Chief of Staff
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 704
Columbus, OH 43215 ”

Sometimes it takes getting outside the I-275 loop to shake things up a bit.

— Margo Pierce

Comments

[David E. Gallaher]

Anyone really want to save public schools? Simply do this: Have every teacher announce to students: "Who doesn't want to be here?" Then everyone raising their hand would be dismissed. Told to get off school property promptly. In order to be readmitted, parent and child would need to make an appointment with the teacher to jointly state their case. The teacher would be under no pressure to readmit. The decision would be totally the teacher's.
How many of these pissed off parents have the balls to second my recommendation?

[Anonymous]

This is very interesting. But it's not quite the all encompassing problem its made out to be.

This is a group of parents at North Avondale Montessori that want to change the registration process for new parents. Unable to do so they've gotten very frustrated.

I agree that the process is inhumane and counterproductive. I agree that there should be a better way to do this. And it does seem like they have taken every possible avenue to address the issue and been rebuffed.

But it also seems that most of their unhappiness with the district and personnel are related to this one issue and their lack of adequate response to the concerns this group has raised.

I am a NAM parent and I had no idea there was this much of a storm brewing over this. I can tell from looking through the website who is at least the backbone of the group, if it is indeed a group. It's interesting. But not quite as revolutionary as the blurb here seems to make it. I think the press releases or publicity that clued CityBeat into this oversold the scope of the problem a bit.

[Anonymous]

Contrary to the intro to this blurb it's not threats to children, perceived or real, that is fueling the tirade. Its anger that adults have to stand in line to register for a specific CPS school. And since the website authors already have kids in the school it must be that they're worried that friends might not get in.

That's not to say that their concerns aren't real; their frustration is apparent if a bit over the top.

I am surprised that you've made no effort to find out who is behind this website. You might be surprised. I would also question if it's a whole pack of parents. It might be just a few. I'd like to hear more investigation of who the "group" is and what their complaints are.

[MiMi Chamberlin Daly]

I am a parent of two current and two grads of North Avondale. No doubt that CPS needs to continue to improve the magnet sign-up process.

I emailed the contact on the website several days ago and have not gotten a reply to this message:
Hello -

I am a North Avondale parent and was not aware of your efforts.

Have you utuilized any parent channels at NAM?

It might also be helpful to give some more details about yourselves on your website. I would be interested to know who is involved.

Hang in there!

Peace and blessings to you and yours!