LA PLATA – The conference room at the Starkey Administration Building was packed on Monday night for the Charles County Board of Education public hearing for the school system’s parent visitation policy.  Sixteen people spoke both for and against the policy as it stands.  Current policy has been in effect for nearly two years. 

Rule #1240: Parent Visitation/Observation

Parents may either visit the classroom at the teacher’s/school’s invitation or request to make a formal classroom observation.

Making an appointment with the school at least 2 days in advance of an observation is not only a courtesy and a requirement, but enables you to schedule the observation for the maximum benefit.

…Parents may schedule up to 2 classroom observations of 45 minutes in duration each grading period.

Staff will accompany visitors to the classroom. Siblings should not attend. Teachers will be happy to discuss the observation at a mutually convenient time.

Parents are welcome to visit the cafeteria and eat lunch with their child.

The majority of the attendants were county school principals who, at one point, were asked to stand to call attention to the quantity of them in support of the current policy.  Sources told The Bay Net the principals attended at the request of Superintendent of Schools James Richmond. 

The principals spoke about how this policy has allowed them to minimize many distractions in the classrooms and yet include parents in their children’s education.  They expressed appreciation for the policy and felt it provided greater security for each school.

The most impassioned pleas, both for and against the policy, came from special education/life skills teachers and their students’ parents.  Teachers Nancy Ewing, Katherine Lopez, Janet Stephenson and State School Psychologist Scott Breen spoke of the vital need for a tightly controlled environment so classroom distractions are minimized.  Their students are easily distracted at best and stressed out at worst by visitors to the classroom.

Parents Mary Yates and Linda Clark spoke of their children’s great need for continuity of routines and techniques from school to home so the student had the same ability to improve in both settings.  These parents felt deliberately excluded from their children’s education when all they wanted was to reinforce the teachers’ methods by using them at home.  Ms Clark told the board that she can’t use the teachers’ methods at home if she’s not allowed to learn them by watching her children in the classroom.

Ms Yates voice trembled with emotion while she stood at the podium pleading with the Board of Education to “increase meaningful parental involvement” in the schools.  The nature of her son’s disability requires continuity of method between home and school.   However, because she is currently de