CROSSING THE CAROLINE: The Parent Trap: Volunteering

CAROLINE REN
Editor in Chief

Although Assembly Bill 1575 prohibits public and charter school officials from forcing parents to volunteer, some California charter schools still seek to penalize students if their parents do not complete service hours, according to ABC. While parental involvement at schools is admirable, schools should not demand additional time and effort.

Essentially, a parent’s role is to encourage and support their child or children’s progress in coursework and perhaps assist with homework when needed. Parents who involve themselves in activities like the PTA should be commended, but that isn’t an option for everyone. Career, disability, personal issues or anything else could prohibit a parent from being there wherever and whenever the school asks them to. Instead of punishing parents who cannot regularly dedicate themselves to active volunteering, schools need to fix their own problems first. Educational institutions shouldn’t be relying on parents as a crutch, especially not to use them to patch up areas administrators, teachers or other faculty members should be handling.

Of course, I still would like parents to take a more active role. AHS’ band booster club fundraises and shows support by attending some of the events the band performs at: just one example of how immensely helpful that participation can be and how positively it impacts students. But I am equally aware that many parents cannot afford to sacrifice time away from work or have little enough personal time already. Promoting involvement is wonderful; forcing it is not.