When I began writing this blog, it was my hope that I would become a sort of voice for the local parents waiting to be heard. Being young and naive, I ambitiously typed away at the computer screen hoping to unify the parents of this county in one voice. Who was I kidding?

At the recent incident of faulty bus routes and tardy kindergarten drop offs at the Middle Township School District, I decided to join in the parents protest of unsatisfactory handling of their precious cargo, their children. I wanted the parents to know they had a friend. I wanted the parents to know that I understood that their precious cargo was our county's most precious resource, our future. Little did I know that these sentiments were not felt amongst the Middle Township Board of Education. Little did I know that the Board of Education would be less apologetic of the matter, and unsympathetic with an explanation.

After roll call, Mr. Anzelone left and returned 10 minutes later just in time for another all present and accounted for attendance check. Mr. Anzelone leaned back in his chair upon his return. Was I watching a circus show balancing act on a tight rope? Thankfully, this was not the highlight of the night. The real entertainment of this show was when the board members started cracking jokes with not a response of laughter in the crowd. Obviously the board was oblivious to the fact that our children's education and safety was no laughing matter.

No explanation was given, and no questions were answered. The bus situation was dodged and the parents were not clued in. The time was wasted. That seems to be what Middle is known the most for these days, dilly dallying around the important issues and taking one more hour of parents away from their children on account of Middle's Board of Education meetings and bus routes.

For once in my life, I left the room disgraced to be a graduate from Middle. I usually held my head up high from my Alma mater. I loved my school and loved where I came from. It no longer mattered to me that our band was highly accomplished, or that the debate team won the year before I entered in high school. It didn't matter if I felt they had a great program for the gifted and exceptional teachers on their staff for all learning styles and types. At that very moment, all that mattered was that the parents around me wanted an answer. Middle had failed them. They had failed them by not being straight forward and they had failed to answer their questions. They had failed their students because they made them wait on the school bus way too long, and the administration had failed everyone in that room as they read what a successful first day they had when it was nothing short of a catastrophe!

Rumors of the bus stations route change are to take place again in a couple weeks. Now, where are our parents to go for answers? Silly me for thinking they deserved one. These were ONLY their children!!!

Dear Board of Education,
While I glanced around the meeting room, last Thursday evening, I made an observation about the generation of parents who were in that room.
In 1999, 2 young adults entered a school with a carefully sketched out plan. These young men knew they were making history as they shot and killed 12 of their classmates (and teachers) and wounded 23 other peers. That was at the time of my senior year of high school. I want you to be aware that the generation of parents that were in the board meeting, who are the parents of your kindergartners, have lived this scary story as students and are now parents of students. When a child is late coming home, these fears are our nightmares in our sleep. We watched these news broadcasts on TVs in our schools that day on April 20. Columbine may be far away from here, but for some of us, Columbine was the first we had heard of such violent acts in school and were some of our last memories as we prepared for graduation. You are now educating the minds of a different era, an era that understands that a few short minutes can be all it takes to turn a world upside down. These parents were worried about their children, and understandably so in the world today. They deserve a far better answer than "We all wished that the day had turned out better." Feel free to send a letter this way, if you agree. I would be happy to post it, and provide some closure to this situation for these moms and dads.

Dear Bus Drivers,

I know many of you sat around me as I was seated in that room. I didn't happen to catch your supervisor there? Thank you for those of you who were there! I am not sure how involved you were in this mess, but I know that you are not to be blamed. Again, I welcome to hear from a bus driver, either confidentially or personally in this situation. Thanks for being a bus drivers. I am sure it a hard job, and we are thankful to those of you who can!! I appreciate that you are polite to our children. I appreciate that you are doing a job that I could never do.