How can you support MUSD?

InMaricopa.com runs, on a regular basis, opinion pieces submitted by community members. The following article is the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of InMaricopa.com.

I have lived in Maricopa for four years now. I have been a certified volunteer in this district since 2007 and was very active in my children’s schools. This is the first full year my fourth grader has gone to Kyrene, and my kindergartner will never set foot in a MUSD school. My 7th grader started out in middle school in the Kyrene district due to all the problems I personally saw.

I tried wholeheartedly to stay and support this district, but the policies and the board have made it impossible. As stated in all board agendas, “The board requests that you express your ideas in three minutes or less and refrain from any personal attacks or derogatory statements about any school employee, a fellow citizen, student or anyone else whether in the audience or not.”

When I have had a problem with a principal, I cannot bring that to the board because my problem is going to automatically contain a derogatory statement about a school employee. I sat back and watched a PTO that I worked on for two months, trying to get started, be “dis banned” by the principal and was then informed that if any discussion of PTO took place on school grounds the involved party would be asked to leave the campus.

Now where is my freedom? I am being told what I can discuss, and how I can discuss it. And because of just how uncomfortable the district makes me, they have lost at least one “certified volunteer.”

I became a certified volunteer for one reason. I wanted to attend field trips with my children. And seeing as that is the only way you are allowed to go on field trips, I paid the $65 out of my pocket to get the clearance card. First of all, this is a policy, which was not approved by the board and, if it has since been, is very discriminating. Telling a parent that had a DUI over ten years ago that they can “be with their child,” but anything more would be jeopardizing our students safety? Then from that I would infer no teacher has ever had a DUI, which I know to be false.

I would also like to know how this district, along with every other district, if the state’s budget is in such crisis, why we are paying a “volunteer coordinator?” Is this position truly necessary in a child’s education? The only way anyone seems to be able to voice their opinion is through inmaricopa.com so I figured this was my best resource since I can’t speak at a board meeting because my opinions are not all positive.

I have all the emails to back up my statements; however, I felt it overkill to include them all.

Thank you,
Deanna Clark

Submitted photo

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