School Board of Alachua County hears from Parker Elementary parents about transportation issues, criticizes Rawlings Elementary turnaround plan
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At their August 21 Regular Meeting, the School Board of Alachua County heard from Parker Elementary parents who are having trouble getting their children to school and criticized but approved a turnaround plan for Rawlings Elementary.
Superintendent Andrew asks for patience with new security measures
During his comments, Superintendent Shane Andrew asked parents to be patient with the new security measures: “We’re, of course, making sure that safety is our top priority as we welcome kids into our school, and then we work on the education piece, the love piece, feed them, nurture them in all kinds of ways, right? But Florida Statutes changed, and so the accessibility to our school sites may have changed, and we ask for your patience with that because it is our number one goal to make sure that our campuses are safe. So if you run into those additional safety measures when you come to our campuses, just know that it’s the state’s top priority, it’s our top priority, to ensure the safety of everyone on our campuses.”
Comprehensive rezoning update
Chief of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Anntwanique Edward provided a detailed update on the comprehensive rezoning effort; the district committee has received a Scope of Work from two finalists for a consulting contract, and a recommendation for the contract is expected to come before the School Board on September 3. Edwards said the committee is asking for rezoning models “with a focus on socioeconomic diversity, transportation, and capacity, all of which would be further discussed in terms of fiscal responsibility.”
Parker Elementary transportation issues
During General Public Comment, the property manager at Residences of Oakview, also known as Horizon Sunset, spoke about the Transportation Department’s decision to stop providing courtesy buses to children who live within two miles of a school. The walking distance from the apartment complex to Parker Elementary is about 1.6 miles, and it requires young children to cross NW 13th Street.
The decision was announced last September and took effect on January 8, and the district said that parents could request transportation “if their student’s walk to school meets the state’s legal definition of a hazardous walking condition.” On January 16, Member Tina Certain requested a review of the policy, saying, “I think we need to look at the unintended consequences that we’re having on students that live within the two miles, especially young students trying to get there.”
The property manager said the children at the apartment complex “are being left behind. They don’t have a way to get to school. They come from marginalized communities, so for their parents to get up and walk them to school is – that’s a barrier… Some parents can’t get their kids to school.”
The Community Director for the apartment complex said the community has been speaking out about the issue since January 16, and “we still don’t have a clear path forward.” He said there are 55 children affected, 32 from his apartment complex and 18 from Campus Walk, and he said the Transportation Department reviewed those 55 names and “determined that they did not qualify for transportation, based upon the two-mile radius and not having a disability.” He said some of the students “suffer from these disabilities and have IEPs, but they’re being turned away.” He said one child didn’t go to school the first week because his mother is disabled, and other families “legitimately have to decide between being late for work or taking their child to school.”
The Community Director said there are more than 20 sexual offenders in a two-mile radius around Parker Elementary, and “that’s not including the transient sexual offenders… Even for the single mothers who are vulnerable, walking their children to school at 6 a.m. in the morning, that’s a risk for them that hasn’t really been considered.”
One mother said only two of the affected families have cars, “so the other women are trying their best to get their kids back and forth to school. I happen to be taking 11 of them; my car only fits seven.” She said one of the mothers is in a wheelchair and can’t get her child to school. She continued, “There’s no crossing guards. There’s no one to help make sure that those children are getting there safely. They’re leaving home in the dark.”
A second mother said she had to quit her job to make sure her kids get to school: “It’s a long walk. It’s very dangerous. It’s dangerous for me, it’s dangerous for them… [My kids] are small, they’re not even three feet tall… It’s just very dangerous.”
A third mother said her daughter is partially paralyzed and should not be expected “to walk with a cane from Horizon Sunset to Parker Elementary… I have made sacrifices, just to make sure she gets to school and picked up from school, and it’s very hard… 13th is very dangerous for our kids to wake up and have to walk, 6:30, 7:00 in the morning, to make it to school.”
A first-grade teacher at Parker Elementary said, “We have a very large population of students who are not getting to school… These are children who come from families that are already economically challenged.” She said parents broke down while talking to her at Meet the Teacher night because they don’t have a car, “so they have to take a bus and then walk several blocks, drop their child off, then walk several blocks back to a bus again or take an Uber and wait in a 20- to 30-minute car line to [pick up their child].” She said that last year, the school had 160 students riding seven buses, and this year there are still seven buses but only 45 children riding them. Because the school is a district ESOL school, “we drive them from Archer, from Waldo, from High Springs, but yet we can’t get students in our own community to school.” She said 11 students in her class are affected by losing bus service: “We’re adding another barrier.”
Chair Diyonne McGraw thanked the parents and said, “All of these will be passed on to the appropriate party to follow up with you all.”
Rawlings Elementary turnaround plan
During a discussion about a district-managed turnaround plan for Rawlings Elementary, which earned a school grade of D two years in a row, Member Kay Abbitt made a motion to approve the plan, and the motion was seconded by Member Leanetta McNealy.
However, Abbitt pointed out that the percentage of proficient students declined last year in every subgroup (see table below), “so whatever was done at Rawlings last year needs to be completely obliterated, because nothing is working there.” She said she supported the year-round model that is currently in effect at Rawlings, but she had also recommended adding extra hours to the school day and hiring more certified teachers; she recommended incentivizing teachers to work at Rawlings.
Abbitt asked, “How many more years are we going to go on and let those kids continue to get a subpar education?” She said some of the recommendations in the plan were implemented last year, “so what is going to be done differently?”
Abbitt said the plan calls for analyzing data to get to the root cause of low performance: “Well, they don’t have foundational skills. If they had the foundational skills, they’d be able to function more proficiently at grade level.”
Abbitt continued, “It says ‘Rigorous walkthroughs.’ We’ve been having walkthroughs. I’ve done walkthroughs. And look – everything’s down. Every grade is down. So are the walkthroughs working?… I don’t see anything different in here… There’s no way that I could vote to approve this like this, because I don’t see that it is going to make any difference for the kids.”
Member Sarah Rockwell said she shared a lot of Abbitt’s concerns but also pointed out that even if the school grade comes up to a C, “if the performance of students with disabilities does not improve, they’ll be in the same turnaround position… and all I can say is, this is appalling – to have performance levels for our students with disabilities in ELA and math of 3% proficiency is absolutely heartbreaking, appalling… That’s a reflection of our failure to provide the level of service they need.”
Rockwell agreed that the district needs to provide more certified teachers to Rawlings, but she disagreed with Abbitt’s recommendation to move coaches into the classroom, saying the district has certified teachers who do not have much experience and need the coaching. She concluded, “We have to make a big change [at Rawlings], not little changes.”
School Improvement Principal Jim Kuhn said, “No one at Rawlings is excited about what happened,” but he listed some things that have changed: “They’re fully staffed, which is fantastic. They were not fully staffed last year… They have really and truly bought into the plan that Dr. [Stella] Arduser and her team have put together… They’re all excited about being there.”
He said the school has four fully-certified ESE teachers and one who is pending certification, and there are no plans to put teachers into classrooms because they are fully staffed.
McNealy said she had confidence that staff would turn the school around and added that she supported incentivizing teachers, but “that’s a collective bargaining issue, and I will not get into that tonight… I’d like to be recommending that in a meeting where we can talk about that.” Addressing parents, she said, “You are going to have to be involved, and it cannot just be the school, okay?”
Certain said she had met with Kuhn earlier in the day and had similar comments to those from Abbitt. She said schools need to be more honest with parents about how few students are proficient and added that she had previously warned that the Early Learning Center was “a diversion of resources, and we need those resources for K-5 because that’s where our charge is right now.” For example, she said, the district needs to find a way to pay for transportation for the Parker Elementary students.
The motion to approve the turnaround plan passed 4-1, with Abbitt in dissent.
Board Requests
After unanimously approving School Resource Officer agreements with the City of Alachua, City of High Springs, City of Gainesville, and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the board moved on to Board Requests.
Abbitt asked staff to send her information about how many students from the Williams Elementary magnet program transferred to their zoned schools or to a private school.
Andrew responded that he would send her that information; official counts for the first fall survey will be taken on August 23, but the current total of enrolled students is 25,925. According to the Florida Department of Education, the district’s enrollment was 27,441 in the second fall survey of 2019-20, and it was 26,264 in 2023-24.
Rockwell said she was concerned that some students enrolled at Parker Elementary “have not been able to get there due to transportation barriers… If we don’t get those kids to school in the next two days, we’re not getting FTE funding for them. So my request is – we figure out something… We need them in school, period, but especially if we can get them there before the end of the 10-day count so that they get their funding as well.”
Both Rockwell and Certain asked staff to look into the Parker Elementary teacher’s report that the buses are not full, and Certain asked for enrollment data by school. She added a request for an additional budget workshop: “I think we, as a board, need to sit down, and the superintendent [can] bring us some strategies that are going to be employed to deal with the negative impact of potentially a large decrease in our [enrollment].”
I live near Parker Elementary and it is very sad to see such young children having to navigate the horrid traffic on NW 13th Street and the surround area just to walk to and from school. With the insanely high budget that is allocated to our school board they ought to do much better. Shame on them.
Especially with the number of idiots who run red lights in this city. . .
The school board is not requiring anybody to navigate 13th St. The parent could take their child to school, but have apparently they have opted to allow their child to walk.
Huh? Did you read the article?
Mick you’re a buffoon.
They don’t have cars.
I am thankful every day for my elementary teachers that taught me sound reading, grammar, and spelling instruction. Later when I became a high school English teacher I was stunned how many students didn’t know the difference beteween a vowel and a consonant, a long and short sound, what syllables are, or how to sound out a word. I could only deduce it was that they didn’t receive the same primary instruction that I had or they were just passed along without mastering the skills.
Things have definitely changed but the basics are still being taught. One major issue is attendance as well as a lack of practicing skills at home. I think that may be part of why mastery is so low.
I totally agree that the basic skills are being taught. Teachers have 6 hours a day with students and they are expected, by the parents, to “fix them” in that time frame. The reality is that they are home 18 hours. Parents need to spend more time reinforcing what teachers have taught their students in those 6 hours. That is what has changed. Parents need to take more responsibility and be consistent with getting the student to school and making sure that they are setting the example of what it means to value their child’s education. That means reinforcing the taught skills at home as well. That’s what parents do!! Or that is what parents should do.
Common sense:
It is the parents job to educate & feed their children.
Don’t breed em if you can’t educate and feed them.
It takes a village to raise a child is an African village saying.
Who should be disciplining your child?
You, or some person in the village with a water hose or strap?
It’s always the blame game.
My father drove me and a neighbor friend to school for elementary, junior high, & high school….i walked home…my friend took the city bus home for .15 cents.
I lived outside the city limits of Jacksonville, FL & NEVER had a bus to ride, plus my Mother did NOT have a car. My brother & I each have Masters degrees & he is a “millionaire”!!!!
So Martha, how did you get to school? And in which county did you attend school? Jacksonville IS Duval county so if you lived outside the city you lived in a different county.
Depends on how long ago she went to school.
My mom & dad taught me the alphabet, to count, and the colors… I learned everything myself from my mistakes.
Trout Creek Rambler I know what you mean. Every child should the difference between a vowel and consonant. A vowel is a movement that occurs when you use the potty “a vowel movement” and a everybody knows there are 7 consonants which are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Really????
Why do they need a chief of equity & inclusion and why is that woman wearing a face mask?
They don’t, no organization does. it’s just the americanized version of Marxism currently going around made to divide the population against each other.
2nd best thing Gov. DeSantis did was to recognize and abolish at state level. Probably a lost cause getting it out of some of these local government agencies tho’.
To irritate pinko commies like you.
Not a word about all the amazing students recognizes at the meeting?
If parents were to leave a young child unattended at home, they would be charged with neglect. But the schools require that young children walk up to 2 miles to school?
That does not seem to line up with the emphasis on safety measures from earlier in the meeting.
Might this be a ministry opportunity to these families for area churches with church vans?
Schools do not require anybody to walk.
Did anyone else notice the total lack of the words, discipline, consequences, support of teachers, creating an atmosphere that would attract children wanting to learn?
I have substituted at Rawlings last year. Although not there to inspect, I felt that the teachers were doing their job. Personally, I would have to say that it is the parents. If children go home and parents don’t know how to speak properly, and use acronyms when texting, this influences the children. How much time is spent at home reading to the child. Please, no single mom sad story. It’s the culture. All this focus and resources on one school takes away from other schools. If Chief of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Anntwanique Edward, can’t understand or state the real problems then things will never change. Why even have this position anyway? She should be paid on how the school does on proficiency. And looking at how Rawlings did she owes money. And her first name is as part of the problem Anntwanique. How is it pronounced and what does it mean? What language is it? Maybe name came from Star Trek?
Your comment was okay until you started about what someone is named. She didn’t give herself that name and what does it have to do with the children at Rawlings. I can only imagine what you were thinking about some of the names of Rawling’s students. Do Better!
Yes, poor kids are given names that are hard to spell and pronounce. Why? At least research the country your DNA is from and use one of those names. But I understand your point of view. Thanks
I think the victimization rhetoric is just dying. This is not an issue of Equity, Inclusion or Equality; this is a behavior problem where kids are not disciplined at home and their parents are not accountable of what they do at school. It is the most common symptom of a community where its members are taught to be defiant and disrespectful.
This school district does not expel children but lets them go without punishment. They give out-of-school suspensions as a reward for eight days of vacation. Kids will not learn like that. Not long ago, children were more respectful despite lousy behavior.
Now, they know they can do anything and get rid of it with no penalties. We are seeing a new generation of lazy people who think they deserve everything. This is fabricated narcissism with victimization. It is sad to see the updates of the Alachua Chronicle of criminals every day. A bunch of them graduated from Alachua Public Schools. It is sad and discouraging.
In the meantime, Gilchrist County is an A-rated school district. Parents ensure that their children, regardless of their age, are respectful and focused on their studies, which is all we ask of our kids while they are young.
What does her name have anything to do with the lack of safety measures in place for students to go to school? You sound foolish, I agree with the other commentator, you had me until you brought up a name. I guess it’s safe to deduce you live in a trailer park and missing your two front teeth. What idiot brings up their name as a stance against someone being employed as CEI. Tell us your real name Billy Bob?
Look at the table in the article. Performance at this failing school went down in every category! The highest percent proficiency in any overall category was 22% in science. How does the school even make a D? Is it possible to get a F? The previous director of learning was fired from this position when the performance was even higher. Edwards needs to go. She isn’t getting the job done.
I think it’s great they renamed the school to Parker Elementary after Spiderman!
It should have been named after the location—nobody knows where it is!
I do not want to sound discriminating against others, but it is sad that a child born in the United States, an American citizen, does not have the privilege to be transported to his/her school. HOWEVER, ESOL children, in the majority under parole, undocumented or non-citizenship, have the privilege not only to be transported but also to receive accommodations to learn the language. I don’t understand what disparity this school board is referring to because THEY ARE the first oppressor of American children. Discouraging. I hope things change a bit this coming November.
Anyone else notice this? In the article one word is missing.
“Father”
Why don’t these boo hoo “single mothers” require the fathers who bred these children to get up out of bed and walk their spawn to school?
If these “single mothers” have such poor choice in men that they are all in Raiford, too bad. Society does not owe their children a ride to school.
Do not breed them if you can’t raise them.
ACSB needs a do over. Their focus and agenda is clearly not working and they circle the wagons in denial they have made some very bad decisions and need to focus on education not
a politically driven administration. We deserve better than these obvious failures that have more money than they know what to do with and waste it . Check out the surrounding counties that are on the right track organizational charts . That would be a good start.
Sad to read this article and how safety is selective and still the county board actions are reactionary by bare minimum and not proactive. Their focus on DEI and PC topics versus getting our kids to school, keeping them safe, teaching them the core subjects and not indoctrinating them is disturbing but I find it will only get worst when Vu joins the board with his agenda and majority with DEI focused members like Rockwell and certain.
We need redistricting to the representation like county board has for this board before they make choices that are un fixable. This focus for past few years isn’t working and the district 47% average failing rate across the county is unacceptable. I agree with another poster the reality is fatherless homes is a larger issue it appears they don’t want to address for fear of what speaking the truth, stop making this about race other communities make their budgets and policies work for them but ACPS has lost its way.
Chief of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Anntwanique Edward provided a detailed update on the comprehensive rezoning effort; Well la tee dah.
Just what we need, a DEI position that does nothing. Let kids go to the school nearest them. Improve the schools that need improving and spend the money being paid to this DEI dimwit to upgrade the schools and increase teacher salaries.
I walked to school in kindergarten, first and second grade….crossed streets with cars on then, and tracks with trains on them. I liked it. My kids walked too. Of course, it was uphill….both ways!
I am a single Mom, Black, and was on some government assistance when my son was young. I cared for my parents and went to school to enhance my education degree. There was no father at all. My son graduated with scholarships to university and is doing well. There are too many tropes and stereotypes in these comments. There are lots of single moms bringing up successful students. Before you jump to tropes and stereotypes, go to the meetings and listen to a person. Look them in the face.
“When they see us.”