Parent voices concerns about cooperation with school

SUSSEX BOROUGH — A district parent expressed concern to the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District Board of Education on Nov. 17 about a lack of cooperation she receives from the Lawrence School.

Laura Hemmer, a parent of four, had three main issues. She wanted to be allowed to walk her kids to the classroom as parents once were able to, different sets of rules for different children for behavioral issues and only being able to eat lunch twice with her child by appointment until Nov. 15.

She is very sad that they are losing their school community and said something needs to be done.

“Parents need to be accessible to children, because children still need their parents,” she said.

Her oldest is a senior in high school, and Hemmer never needed to come before to a school board meeting.

"Let me go have lunch with my child," she said, noting she was unable to attend one of the two times.

Hemmer continued that the school board needs to be made aware of a lot of different changes and be more involved.

“Send out a parent survey, and see what is going on in school,” she said.

President Thomas Card asked if she had talked to the principal and superintendent.

She said there was an advisory board meeting that same night, but her daughter, Taylor, had received the eighth-grade student of the month award for which she had worked very hard. Hemmer needed to be at the school board meeting for her.

Earlier, Taylor had been commended for being kind and a terrific eighth grade role model who would be missed next year.

In conclusion, said Hemmer does not see him [her son] going to the school, and she is pursuing the possibility of homeschooling.

In response, school board member Lisa Frisbie said the district needs to balance security issues with being receptive of parents., while board member Robert Heiden said her concerns should not fall on deaf ears.

Frisbie said it's sad the distrct can't have openness in the building, but that the principal will need to work with the parents.

"It is a tough balance between security and access," School board member Bob Maikis said. "Now, it is as different world."

Coding presentation
Two students gave an oral report and demonstration of computer programming the new Chrome Books used in their fourth-grade class.

Kaitlyn and Hunter explained how they are learning computer languages, such as Java Script, and experimenting with programming. They have created different projects such as: tutorials, screen webinars, a sun-and-Earth rotation project, and personal websites. During their presentation, they demonstrated how 18 lines of code they wrote could animate someone's name.