Parents Q&A with Mr. Vigil

4/20, parents and students were in action yesterday. Crowd met at Weekes Park to march to the District’s Office, and had a talk (Q&A) with Vigil. Part of the Q&A can be seen on episode of 'Day 7' of Channel 16.84 "The Truth". Well ... you see, a lot of questions resonated around unfair pay, no answers.

4/19 Updates

A few highlights:

• Only 21-percent of students in Hayward are actually showing up for classes.
• Hayward School District is trying to force striking teachers back to work through Alameda County Superior Court.
• Union members say they are extremely disappointed.
• April 23 is the beginning of the Star testing.
  

All Means All?

If you ever wonder what "All Means All" means, "All Means All" is a HUSD district-wide plan for improved student achievement. According to the official documentation of HUSD:

The Hayward Unified School District’s mission states that educational partners need to “work together in guiding students’ learning of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to fulfill their potential and to be lifelong learners.” The purpose of this District-Wide Plan for Improved Student Achievement is to focus all our collective efforts on making this mission a reality. On August 14, 2000, the district school board approved four critical focus areas, the most central of which is improved achievement for all Hayward students. This plan is the vehicle which will drive all of the district’s fiscal and organizational resources to improve student achievement.

The vehicle has stopped recently, running out of gas? Whether you're a parent, teacher, or district staff, tell us all your view of what All Means All means to us all? Please comment.

FAMILIES in ACTION Press Release

FAMILIES in ACTION is a group of Hayward parents working together to build quality relationships among parents, teachers, district administrators, and the school board.

Here's a press lease from Families in Action:

Press Release
April 18, 2007

Frustrated parents are taking action in response to a perceived lack of respect, honesty, and communication in the current crisis in Hayward schools. Parents and students have felt excluded from nearly all the communications and actions that led to the current teacher strike.

On the fifth day of the teacher strike, a group of parents met to discuss their concerns; the group included several leaders of parent-teacher groups in individual schools. During the meeting, parents voiced concern about many different issues, but all involved the lack of respect, honesty, and communication within the Hayward Unified School District.

Parents agreed that isolated efforts by parents at individual schools had failed to obtain results, and the school district simply does not respond to questions or concerns voiced by individual parents or even a group of parents from a single school. They decided it was time to create a district-wide organization, which will be called FAMILIES in ACTION.

The primary goal of the group is to build quality relationships among parents, teachers, district administrators, and board members. Their first action is to join their voices together in unison, making sure they are heard loud and clear saying, “Resolve this dispute now, get the teachers back into the classrooms so our children can get the quality education they deserve!”

An organizational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 19, from noon to 2:00 pm at the Weekes Branch Library, 27300 Patrick Ave., Hayward. During this meeting, parents will share questions and concerns, and will prepare for a Friday rally. Student activities will include letter-writing, story time, and fun activities. All Hayward parents and students are invited to attend.

On Friday, parents will gather for a rally at 10:00 a.m. at Weekes Park (on Patrick Avenue, north of Tennyson). Together they will then march more than two miles to the HUSD offices on Amador Street, where they will request a meeting with Dr. Vigil. They will present letters from both parents and students to the superintendent and the school board. All parents, students and teachers are welcome. Please wear a white shirt and comfortable shoes!

More events are scheduled throughout next week. Please call our FAMILIES in ACTION hotline at 510/592-9835 for more information.