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WakeEd
The WakeEd blog is devoted to discussing and answering questions about the major issues facing the Wake County school system as it prepares to undergo historic changes. Will the new school board scrap the diversity policy in favor of neighborhood schools? Will year-round schools be converted back to a traditional calendar? How will the new board respond to growth and the school construction program?
WakeEd is maintained by The News & Observer's Wake schools reporter, T. Keung Hui. While Keung posts information and analysis on the issues, keep us posted on your suggestions, questions, tips and what you're doing to cope with the changes in Wake's schools.
Refugees and reassignment
Submitted by KeungHui on 01/05/2009 - 06:00
Should the school board cut a reassignment break for refugees who fled from Myanamar?
As noted in today's column by Ruth Sheehan, the reassignment plan would move a node that includes a large group of Karen refugees who now live in North Raleigh. The move would create hardships for these families who, because they're largely low income, would be hard pressed to take advantage of transfer options.
"Political oppression and poverty chased these people halfway around the world. If only the Wake County School Board would let them put down roots — and stay," Ruth writes in the column.
Here's a little background on the proposed move.
These families, from Node 291.4, live in an apartment complex near Falls of Neuse and Sandy Forks roads. They're pretty close to their current assignment of Carroll Middle School and Sanderson High School.
The reassignment plan calls for moving the node to Leesville Road middle and high schools.
The node is now assigned to Sycamore Creek Elementary School, which is close to the Leesville schools. Sycamore students now attend Leesville middle and high schools.
The rationale for moving the node is "to allow elementary students to move into middle school with their elementary school peers." Since the middle school assignment is being changed, the same reason is given for changing the node's high school assignment.
So it's not arbitrary why the node is in the plan. But you might get some arguments about whether they should be at Sycamore Creek in the first place, which is leading to these moves.
The node is at Sycamore, instead of a closer elementary school, because it's a high F&R area. The kids are helping to diversify Sycamore while easing the F&R challenge on the rim schools close to the node.
Ruth will likely discuss the column when she appears at 3 p.m. today on Bill LuMaye's radio show on WPTF 680 AM.
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Comments
Ruth Sheehan is an
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 12:31 — g88ky07Ruth Sheehan is an idiot!
PERIOD!!!
Empty promise of a quality education
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 12:00 — SDR256What this busing solution is doing to average families is an outrage. But what it is doing to the most vulnerable in our society is a crime, and its all in the name of what some believe have said is a higher calling - what they think is 'good for us'. The intent may be admirable, but the chosen solution is a dismal failure on all ends. Unless of course, the INTENT is to tear apart communities. Which, if you have a cynical mind you could imagine that it might be. In that case, it is quite successful.
The F&R community was the largest community to opt out of year round as well. Multiple schedules, school changes, lack of connectivity with your family isn't good for families of ANY kind - refugee, native, southern, northern, rich or poor. Some have the resources to try and compensate, but it doesn't mean that the loss of relationships and the other thin connective glue that makes us a society isn't missed when its taken away.
I thought we were all refugees
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 11:16 — NCParentGive me a breaking, no, give me a freaking break. For all intents and purposes to WCPSS, we are all numbers to be moved around. Is this woman really saying that someone who is a refugee has more right to not be reassigned than someone who, say, is from a military family used to moving all over creation?
I like Wake County, I love my school (even though it's myr) but I wish we'd moved to Orange County.
I haven't read the article
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 13:04 — Dadof3So I haven't read the article -- but the immediate sentiment seems to be the irony of moving from upheaval into a different kind of upheaval. I'll take whatever notice the otherwise 'give-a-free-pass' press gives.
But, come one, the kind of tyranny seen the third world beats any of our worst days in America, even at the hands of the ed junta. It cheapens their suffering to miss the difference.
Well Said
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 13:43 — ncdad1“It cheapens their suffering to miss the difference.”
Well said. I was a little embarrassed reading the comparison being made between suffering of war torn refugee families and "refugee" suburban children.
so?
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 13:41 — Forget_not_the_...So DADof3 you are saying that this node that has refugees in it should be given special compensation under Wake County's forced busing policy?
Are you aware that nodes that are currently being bussed also contain refugees from other third world countries, they just don't get the press?
I dunno
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 15:28 — Dadof3I have no idea how you inferred that conclusion from what I wrote.
We tend to over-dramatize in our passion here, and third world suffering AIN'T bussing/MYR. That's all I'm saying.
Just in case I have failed to be clear:
This district is too big in geography and population
We need a WCPSS that is family-friendly, not social-engineering friendly.
We need a BoE that represents parents interests.
Go Ron!
Everything else will get in line from there.
whew
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 17:47 — Forget_not_the_...I agree with all of the above and would like to add that WCPSS needs to get back to teaching the individual child and not like all our children are cookie cutter clones.
So I am thinking, if we were a third world nation under the rule of a tyrant, who would get out? The poor? The oppressed poor? I think the oppressed influential and/or richer than the national norm would be the first ones out....
Refugees are refugees...no doubt. We have refugees who have come over on rafts from Cuba, in cargo storage boxes from Vietnam and then we have some that came on jets from Lebanon or even private jets such as the Shah of Iran and his followers.
Suburban kids can't compare to F&R kids. However we are naive to think that as the US we don't have hunger, child prostitution, drug abuse and parental neglect. Sometimes I feel we get so smug about being the US, that we forget to look honestly at ourselves.
Like a preacher cheating on his wife while preaching "the word" the US can be a bit hypocritical.
That is why I feel that the refugees' situation with WCPSS and being bussed is equivalent to the situation of our F&R population with WCPSS redistricting. Sorry I don't worry much about the non F&R population getting bussed, these kids will be successful, but our F&R population needs to succeed and if data can't prove that they do better in a suburban school then keep them in their local school where their roots and support flow deep.
At least let them choose where they want to go.
Exception?
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 10:24 — SideburnsSadly, these families are poster-children for what WCPSS is all about. Bus them further for the good of the whole. Why does it take refugees from another country to bring this to light?
Now that Ms. Sheehan has reported on it, will WCPSS make an exception to their own rules to assist them? It will be interesting to see.
right on bob
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 10:10 — Forget_not_the_...The N&O will advocate for a handfull of refugees and not for the black/poor disenfranchised in Wake County who face the same injustices????????????????
right on Bob
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:46 — Forget_not_the_...Bob is correct--all F&R students face the same challenges as these refugee children
Why has it taken Ms. Sheehan so long to figure this one out?
Refugee is a relative term.
This is exactly the same
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:20 — jenmanThis is exactly the same problem faced by other F&R students. Instead of making life better for kids on the margin, the policy makes things WORSE. Why does the district insist on busing kids from schools that do a good or mediocre job of serving their needs to schools that do a lousy job?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob--According to Chuck Dulaney, distance doesn't matter when it comes to parental involvement. He has said that in his experience low income parents don't get involved no matter how close they are to the school.
Hmmm
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 13:27 — Bob_SconceJenman --
In the section you quoted, I was really referring to the practice of reassigning F&R kids from schools like Fox Rd to schools like Wakefield. (F&R students do worse at Wakefield than at Fox Rd.) Sorry if I didn't make that clear.
Ms. Sheehan has given us a great counter-example disproving Chuck's view. Maybe the district should focus on getting parents more involved, not on making it more difficult for them to be involved.
Impressive
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:03 — Dadof3I'm not a fan of hers but sometimes she nails it, like now:
Though nothing like what the refugees have seen, they've left a grand tyranny for a "thousands cuts" tyranny led by feelings-driving narcissists who achieve the inverse of their stated intent.
Thanks for the reporting, Mr.Hui
Interesting....
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 09:02 — Bob_SconceFrom the column:
This is exactly the same problem faced by other F&R students. Instead of making life better for kids on the margin, the policy makes things WORSE. Why does the district insist on busing kids from schools that do a good or mediocre job of serving their needs to schools that do a lousy job?
Numbers game
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 10:37 — Chris_HWhether F&R or not, the BOE just does not care. Numbers are where they are at. Individual family struggles and family life balance is not really of importance to the BOE. We have all witnessed that. It really is a shame because we are talking about people and children.