LPS CLOSING THE OPEN DOOR?

That LORI she is on to something. These meetings should be more OPEN and if those laws apply I would guess that VIOLATIONS will rain down on LPS. Think about it what 26 schools in a FAILING district.

Anyway, here is what LORI said:

Lori Smith D'AmicoLynn Parents Organizing for a Better Education

Since the law requires every school to have a school council, I decided to email every principal and ask them if their school has one and who the other co-chair is (besides the principal). What is the reason the Education Reform Act calls for establishing school councils? "Teachers, parents, and community members can become more committed to improving the schools and more supportive of the public school system when they enjoy the opportunity to serve or be represented on a school council that has a role in shaping the policies and programs of the school." These councils and their purpose are essential and play a crucial role in improving our schools and in making sure parents, teachers, stateholders and other members of the communtiy are involved. I got a couple responses providing the information, but then I started getting the following response, "All requests for information must go through the superintendent's office" It seems Dr. Latham has instructed all her principals to refuse to provide the information to me and for all of them to respond with that response. According the DESE, these councils are subject to the open meeting laws. Specifically, councils are required to hold all meetings in public and allow anyone in attendance to audio and/or video-tape the proceedings as long as it is not disruptive to the meeting, post a notice of each meeting with the city or town clerk and in a public place at least 48 hours prior to the meeting, keep minutes indicating the date, time, place, members present and absent, and actions taken.

I emailed Dr. Latham and requested all the information, as well as where I could find the minutes to the last meeting each school council had. I also told her it was extremely disappointing that a parent, stakeholder or any other interested party has to go through the superintendent's office for such basic information and that it does not make for a very welcoming environment and certainly does not encourage parental involvement. I know we all strive to work together as a team with the administration, but unfortunately, Dr. Latham makes this very difficult, if not impossible, at times.

I have also contacted the DESE about this and her actions to find out what the state's opinion on the issue was.

SHE MAKES SOME VALID POINTS!