Last week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law that expanded school choice for families. Now, parents can send their child to any school in the State as long as there is room and they can provide transportation.
While many may think this sounds like a great idea, I have to disagree. I know that there may be schools in our state that aren't performing as well as we might like. But do you think any school really wants to be a failing school? Giving money to schools that perform well while punishing those that don't seems counter productive. Giving more and more options that allow schools to lose students because they "seem" to be unwilling to do better isn't always a fair assessment.
Ever been a classroom teacher? I have, and it isn't an easy job. Some students want to do better, but they don't have the support at home that they need. Sometimes it's because the parent doesn't care. It may not be popular to say, but it's the truth. Sometimes, it's because the parents can't afford to miss work for parent teacher conferences, or the child is bussed so far from home and the parents don't have transportation and can't get to the school. They want to support their child, but we don't always make it easy for them.
In some cases, children learn differently and need a few extra days to get a concept, but with the new rules, teachers have to stick to the schedule even when they know their students need an extra day to really grasp it. How is that helpful? Teachers don't get to do what they know is best for their students.
And let's be honest. When you send your child to a charter or private school, if he or she doesn't perform on whatever level the school is looking for, or they are a serious behavior problem, the school simply says they can no longer attend. Public schools don't get that choice. Public schools must provide an education for ALL, even the students no other learning institution will assist. Now how is that fair?
I think lawmakers need to spend a few days in some of these so called failing schools, and really find out what the issues are and how they can provide help. Are there sometimes teachers who need to choose another profession? Absolutely. But more often than naught, there is a lot more going on at a school facing some challenges than what we see on the surface.
Not every parent can afford food, much less transportation to drive their child to a different school. Their child must attend the school assigned to them, where they can walk or take the bus. So what choice does that parent have? How does this bill help that student? I wish that school choice also included parents, the community, and our government choosing to work together to better every public school, instead of just choosing to leave many of them to figure it our on their own. We owe that to EVERY child.
