School Staff Misunderstand Parents Concern

Background

Reflecting on the May 17th Estancia Municipal School District Board meeting, I realized some of those in attendance at the meeting did not understand the underlying issues. The parents had been excluded from the Title I process, and they alleged the District made false claims to the contrary. It appears school staff misunderstand parents concern.

The crowd seemed divided. One group in attendance was that of the parents whose children would be affected by the Title I program. The other group were the school staff and Board, their supportive family in tow. The parents seemed concerned about their children. The school staff seemed concerned about the Superintendent. The Board seemed to say “but we need the money from the government.”

Based on the comments overheard, the school staff, Board members, and their family members did not seem to understand the parents’ concerns. Is seemed as though the school staff and Board were not provided with the details surrounding the Title I application that prompted parents to complain. Perhaps the matter is a complex one. As such, I ask the school staff and Board to entertain the following analogy intended to help them understand our perspective as aggrieved parents.

Analogy

Imagine there is a baseball team of 12-year-olds being assembled. The rules clearly state that only 12-year-olds can play on this team. The Coach assures everyone that only 12-year-olds are on this team and things are ready to go to start their season.

The season begins, and the team meets for the first day of practice. All the 12-year-old players are there waiting and ready for practice to begin. Suddenly, the booster club President pulls up in their hot rod car and out steps another man dressed in baseball gear. The man walks up and joins the team of 12-year-olds. The 12-year-olds are confused but think maybe this is their new coach because he is a full foot taller than them, has a killer Tom Selleck mustache, and a receding hairline. Just then their old coach pulls up and tells everyone it’s time to line up for drills.

The Setup

The parents and kids are all confused, and they ask who this other man is. The Coach looks at the man with confusion. He asks who the man is, and he tells them that he is a player on the 12-year-old team. The Coach asks how old he is and says that he is 18. The Coach walks over to the booster club President and asks why there is an 18-year-old player (who looks to be 25) there even though the rules clearly state that they must be 12.

The President acts shocked and confused and states that they had no idea the man was not 12 years old. He, himself, was told the man was 12 and therefore he believed it to be true. The booster club President then reminds the Coach that he already gave his approval and that the parents all agreed to it, as well.

Most of parents begin yelling and protesting and saying that they never gave permission for this, and the booster club President is clearly lying. Having an 18-year-old play with their 12-year-old is against the rules, would likely mean their kids would play less, and would even be dangerous because the 18-year-old could clearly “whoop all their butts.”

The Coach feels really embarrassed and says that he is sorry. He realizes that he did agree to this but didn’t pay attention to the details of what he was agreeing to. He has “fallen on the sword and accepts full responsibility.” He suggests they move forward and focus on the future. The parents sigh with relief that this error was caught in time.

Oh Good, Problem Solved

The kids all line up for drills and the 18-year-old joins them. Again, the kids and parents are bewildered. One parent asks why the man/ boy is there and the Coach responds by saying that it is too late to make any changes. The parents respond saying that it is not too late because they haven’t even had a game yet.

The booster club President tells them that since the first practice has already begun, they can’t change anything now. Many parents are still upset and are waiting for the Coach to do the right thing. Other parents are just happy to be a part of the team and give thanks to everyone for trying their best.

The season has begun, and it is too late to make any changes. There is nothing more that can be done. Suddenly, a couple of parents suggest leaving and starting their own team that follows the rules and teaches their kids how to play the game. Many parents join in and are happy that they have the option to do their own thing. Some parents stay with their kids and wheel out the cooler of orange slices and Gatorade.

Lastly, the kids who live near the field, whose parents stay uninvolved, shrug, and realize there is nothing they can do about any of it. They wince as man/boy throws an 80-mph ball into their glove. The booster club President sips on his mojito under his cabana, and they all live happily ever after.

But wait, it’s not over. The parents who left to start their own team know more must be done to right this wrong.