When state Rep. Kelli Stargel filed a bill that would require elementary school teachers to grade not only students’ progress but parents’ participation, we rejoiced a little.
Finally, there would be a way to hold irresponsible parents accountable for their ill-prepared students.
We’ve known parents who treated public school more like a free day care than a learning institution, so the idea of holding both parents and teachers accountable for a child’s development appealed to us.
That is, until we read the bill.
According to our reading, the only repercussion of the parental involvement grade is the grade itself. The only provided outcome of an unsatisfactory rating is meeting with the faculty to discuss possible means for improving the grade.
We’re not suggesting the state would have the means nor the right to punish a parent’s negligence via the child’s grades, but without any incentives for families to perform better, the bill seems pointless.
We can foresee teachers making an effort to fill out this extra grade only to send it to families who don’t care about it to begin with.
In fact, only people who are already involved with their children’s education would take action when given a low grade.
We applaud any effort to make parents care about their children’s future, but this bill wouldn’t make a dent in the gigantic problem of parental apathy.
