[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.0.50″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” border_style=”solid”]
At our December 9, 2014 School Connection Fair, we met over 200 parents and students looking for school options in Houston. Those parents gave up their evening to learn about school options in a crowded high-school gymnasium. They were seeking what comes natural for all parents: ways to provide the best possible education for their child.
That night we met Keisha Riley from Houston, who was looking to connect with options for her daughter. The Texas Charter Schools Association was on hand to record her story. Her experience of frustration, is both moving and honest, is shared by the over families of the over 30,000 student applications sent to a waitlist for the current 2014/2015 school year.
Her story was shared by Governor Greg Abbott, during his State of the State address on Tuesday. From the Governor:
No one said it better than Keisha Riley from Houston. She tearfully pleaded for the opportunity to send her young daughter to a better school. Keisha said: “Having a school in my area that doesn’t fit my needs is frustrating. It makes me feel helpless because I want her to be in a good school and I want her to get a good education so she doesn’t have to struggle like I have.”
As she spoke, her little girl reached up and wiped tears away from her mother’s cheek.
This story forces us to look Keisha in the eye and ask ourselves: Are we working for her and her daughter? Or are we working for the status quo?
Thank you to The Texas Charter Schools Association for helping share the experience of waitlisted parents.
Families Empowered is proud to be serving parents like Keisha Riley. We agree wholeheartedly with the Governor, as he said, “The truth is when parents have more options, students win.”
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]