Orchard Knob Middle School parents and community leaders criticized the principal Monday for not being more available to them and criticized the school for not making take-home textbooks available to students.
"In my opinion, our kids are not getting their fair share and something needs to be done to promote success for our future," said Annette Thompson, president of the school's Parent Teacher Student Association.
Mrs. Thompson was one of about 20 people, including four parents, who met Monday at the Avondale Recreation Center. Several people stated a need for more parent involvement at the school, but community leaders applauded the parents present and said they would work with them and principal Maryo Beck to accomplish goals at Orchard Knob Middle.
Mrs. Thompson said students didn't receive science books until April, six weeks before school is dismissed for the summer. And many of the textbooks students use at the school are outdated, she added.
Mr. Beck said he's doing "everything" to prepare students for success. Beyond not having textbooks, students don't come to school with pencil and paper, he said, so he gives it to them. He said he has to tell others to comb their hair or how to properly dress.
"This is not just a job to me. If it was I would leave the building at 2:15 every day and go home and deal with my own kids," he said. "But I'm there because I want the kids to succeed."
School officials say money isn't available for textbooks, but they are using online information to teach students.
And Orchard Knob Middle is not the only school without current books, said Hamilton County school board member Jeff Wilson, who graduated from the middle school.
Jack Murrah, former president of the Lyndhurst Foundation, got so upset when speaking about Orchard Knob, he left the meeting. He said the problem with the school is one of leadership throughout the school system.
"They have disadvantaged your children for their futures and it makes me angry and it makes me sad," he said. "I'm just about finished because I can't seem to get people to have a moral conscience, a moral commitment to do what is right."
School board member George Ricks told the parents that they are pushing improvement at the school by being vocal.
"Thank you," he said. "If you sit back, nothing happens. Thank you for making noise."
He said some improvements for Orchard Knob Middle already have been in the works. The school is expected to get lockers and a renovated bathroom this summer, he said.
Parents need to be concerned about the quality of education at Orchard Knob, said Joe Smith, regional director of the YMCA Community Action Project.
"We have kids every day who come from Orchard Knob and it's difficult to work with those children because they're unprepared," Mr. Smith said. "They don't have textbooks to complete assignments. It's frustrating seeing kids in the eighth grade who can't read a two-syllable word."
SCHOOL POLICY
Because some schools don't have textbooks for students to take home, school officials implemented a policy in April that states if the school does not have enough textbooks to give every student a copy, then no homework assignment will be assigned from that particular textbook. That does not mean that students won't have homework assignments because there are lots of ways students can do homework to extend the learning that should take place in the classroom.
Source: School Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales
What's next
A PTSA meeting will be hosted 3:15-4:30 p.m. Thursday at Orchard Knob Middle School.