causing them to miss large portions of their instructional time. The Special Education
Transportation is often the cause of students arriving to school late.”
Since the closure of Oakman children are going myriad directions and distances. Special education parents
have complained to us from a number of schools. The District should address how to fix transportation issues
so students have the opportunity to have a full day of school.
Antionette Pearson, principal of Osborn High School was quoted in the Detroit Free Press on April 16, 2012:
“Some kids skip early classes or arrive late to school to avoid traveling when it's dark out, she
said. The average DPS high school student misses more than 40 days of school, according to
the Detroit Federation of Teachers. They miss their classes because they're waiting until it
lightens up or won't go to tutoring after school because it gets dark. It all impacts attendance,
and you can't learn if you're not there."
Says Detroit School Board Member, Ida Short:
We need not be forced into silence about the transportation issues of Detroit’s students. Nor do
we benefit from having a few suburban stakeholders meet behind closed doors. We need a
community meeting about this issue, and to continue to involve the community on issues that
people who live in Detroit are discussing, as we once did before. Yet, the Emergency Manager
retaliates against our meeting at all outside of his desire, let alone a town hall meeting to
address transportation issues for students in the coming fall.
SEEING THE BIG PICTURE: DETROIT CHILDREN ARE NOW UNDER EXTREME STRESS
Students Need Love & Attention
All kids need to be nurtured, and many times it’s their teachers who are providing the love and attention they so
desperately need.
When students have emotional and other problems, they need support and guidance that the for-profit business
models are ill-equipped to provide. With profit being the motivating factor, many charter schools employ
Teach for America “teachers” who have only 5 weeks of training. They also fail to employ trained
professionals such as counselors, social workers and psychologists because it wouldn’t be cost-effective. Every
student in Michigan, including those in Detroit,