Keep sibling preference

Editor's note: The following letter was sent to Hernando County School Board members and is reprinted here at the author's request.

At the Oct. 20 workshop meeting it was stated that a committee would be created to research and gather information about magnet school enrollment procedures and then report this data to the school board so members would have a foundation for a long-term magnet school procedure going forward.

I have selected certain excerpts from the 2009 Florida Statutes. Chapter 1002.31 - Public School Parental Choice:

(5) Each school district shall develop a system of priorities for its plan that includes consideration of the following:

(e) An appeals process for hardship cases.

(h) A process that promotes strong parental involvement, including the designation of a parent liaison.

Since this is the statute for a controlled open enrollment plan, I feel it is discriminatory, since a magnet school is already an existing choice program, to not encourage placement of siblings within the same school. This process would allow families to enroll siblings at the same school and strengthen the relationship between the family and the school community.

Chapter 1002.23 Family and School Partnership for Student Achievement Act states:

(5) Each district school board shall adopt rules that strengthen family involvement and family empowerment. The rules shall be developed in collaboration with parents, school administrators, teachers and community partners, and shall address:

(a) Parental choices and responsibilities;

(d) Opportunities for parents to participate on school advisory councils and in school volunteer programs and other activities.

The current decision to end sibling preference neither strengthens family involvement nor family empowerment and actually stifles opportunities for parents to participate on school advisory councils and in school volunteer programs, as well as other activities. In fact, it does the complete opposite by stretching parents' resources, that are already limited in today's world, too thin to allow any school involvement to be strengthened when siblings of elementary school age are in separate schools.

It is my understanding the change made by the HCSB to eliminate sibling preference in the magnet schools was based on the seats they would be taking away from talented students, but then the initial change for enrollment for kindergarten to 100 percent lottery totally contradicts that.

What is the board's intention for the magnet schools? The decision of the board to halt the changes to the enrollment procedures, reinstating a 70 percent portfolio/30 percent lottery and to create a committee to research and report on magnet school policies to the board was very wise. However, sibling preference should absolutely be a part of the process that needs to be revisited, and halted or extended, so that it can be part of the overall, hopefully final, revision to the magnet school enrollment procedures moving forward in a more fluent manner with a long-term policy.

Please allow the time necessary for this committee to complete the research on all the issues needed for a dedicated long-term magnet school procedure, and extend sibling preference for one more year to prevent any confusion and disruption to the students and families of Hernando County.

Schedule the issue of sibling preference in the magnet schools being extended for one year on the next workshop and input this into the magnet school procedures draft so that it can be included in the vote for December.

Laura Page

And Jason Page

Spring Hill