Parents asked to Help Craft School Plan

New EVSC Superintendent Dr. Vince Bertram asked parents for their input on the problems facing the district, and Tuesday night in the North High School auditorium, they told him. In the first of 13 forums designed to pinpoint several areas in need of change in the corporation, several parents asked tough questions about preventing school safety, reducing overcrowding, adhering to the Federal No Child Left Behind act, and combating grade inflation. The idea behind the public meetings is to encourage parents and the public to give input on ways to improve services to students and families and improve communications with families and the community. Superintendent Dr. Vince Bertram also wants to use them to get input on what concerns parents have. The first parent to speak Tuesday has children at Oak Hill Middle School. He expressed concerns about a recent incident involving a student who brought a knife to school. Dr. Bertram says every option is on the table when it comes to school safety, and he says security staff are reviewing safety at Oak Hill. Bertram says the knife incident and another similar incident at the school appear to be isolated, and dont represent a pattern of violence. Another dad who identified himself as Kent, said hes worried about what he and his wife see as several years of grade inflation in many of their daughters classes. Kent says the situation became so bad that he had to tell his daughter that the As she was bringing home would not be As at other schools. Dr. Bertram says he hasnt seen evidence of pervasive grade inflation. As challenging as the questions were, Bertram says its what he wants to hear, so parents can help craft the blueprint for the future of the school system, and problem areas can be directly addressed. The meetings continue this week, including Wednesday, September 13 at Dexter Elementary from 8-9:30 a.m. and Friday September 14 at Washington Middle School from 4-5:30.