Polson parents take a stand against status quo

POLSON — It’s been a frustrating past few months for Lori and Mark Russell.

Parents of three Polson School District students, the Russells have watched problems surface in the school district, specifically at the fourth-grade level where their youngest son Seth currently is, and have decided to take a stand which they hope will shake up the status quo. They have opted to pull Seth and their middle son, seventh-grader Tim, out of the CRT testing over the next two months.

“The school district benefits from our kids taking this test and I’m happy to provide that, but they have to hold up their end of the bargain,” Mark said. “The school board and administration are not doing that.”

The Russells’ concerns are plentiful: Seth’s fourth-grade class has roughly 24 students, one of the district’s largest, the new set of goals outlined for Superintendent David Whitesell hardly mirror those set forth for staff and administration in the district which creates an unhealthy disconnect, support and resources for teachers are not being provided and parents are not being heard, to name several.

“Seeing the inability to assess the kids’ needs in a timely manner, it seems there’s a lack of resources and support given to the teachers so they can do that,” Lori said.

Mark and Lori have reached out in an attempt to address their concerns, meeting with teachers and administrators for years, discussing concerns they had at the fourth-grade level while Seth was still in kindergarten, but with little success.

Now, in an attempt to bring the attention of the administration and the school board back on the students, they have opted out of the CRT testing.

“If we don’t do something now, our concerns might not be communicated to the middle school and we’ll be sitting here in a year with the same concerns,” Mark said. “I want to get a handle on this.”

Those concerns are validated in the numbers. The dropout rate at Polson High School from freshman to senior year is a staggering 30 percent and the Russells want to do what they can to ensure more children don’t become part of that high rate.

“We spend every day talking about school,” Mark said. “What we’ve noticed with our two boys is, prior to this year, they were very excited to come to school and now they’re less than excited. In talking with them and parents, we believe the teachers aren’t being supported from above to deliver meaningful education to our kids right now.”

Rather than be reactive or simply hope for the best, the Russells are being proactive and trying to take action while they can still make a difference.

“The time to reach these kids and impress upon them the importance of education is fourth grade, it’s first, second and third, not sophomore year,” Mark said. “Those kids who will ultimately be at risk of dropping out, now is the time to give your resources.”

“It’s heartbreaking to watch,” Lori added.

This uprising isn’t based solely on what the Russells have noticed in their own kids, however. They’ve talked with about 20 other parents who have similar concerns and support the action they’re taking.

“They all have their own experience, but the overriding theme is that they don’t feel listened to or have quality opportunities to express their concerns and to feel as if those concerns are validated,” Mark said.

In recent months, the school board has been a model of dysfunction, with more time being spent on dealing with issues regarding one another rather than focusing on student needs. Parents address the board, pleading with them to put their differences behind them for the benefit of the children, but time and again, are dismissed without much feedback.

“When was the last time the focus has been on these kids?” Lori asked.

While the Russells maintain that there isn’t a specific person or people their issue lies with, they realize that the situation, and those involved with it, needs to be addressed.

By pulling their children out of the standardized testing, the Russells hope that they can open some eyes to the plight of children in the district and the reasoning behind it.

“We couldn’t find another way to get the school board and administration to listen and understand that parents are still raising the kids and they need to be listened to,” Mark added.

One potential solution the Russells eye through this move would be having the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) come to the district to assess it from the ground up and develop goals to improve the schools.

“In a perfect world, OPI comes in and does that assessment, helping teachers create goals to improve student learning,” Mark said. “Maybe somewhere down the road, the schools become more cohesive and collaborate with each other.”

Ultimately, however, the Russells just hope to see some change for the better so that students can go to class and fulfill their potential because teachers have the tools to ensure that that happens.

“We just hope the administration and the school board notices that this is where we felt we needed to go because the other lines have been closed and I honestly feel this is the only option we had,” Lori said.