Post by title1parent on Aug 22, 2009 5:19:06 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/1728896,2_4_AU22_NILAN_S1-090822.article
Fair teaches lessons in generosity and rights
August 22, 2009
By Diane Nilan
The recent Aurora Back To School Fair provided an impressive opportunity for Aurora families to get not only essential school supplies but also to learn about the important educational rights for families who have lost their place to live.
Despite steamy August heat, hundreds of families with thousands of kids filtered through doors of the Harkness Center, a church-gym facility at First Presbyterian Church that for years has served as distribution site for supplies solicited and handed out to low-income families by agencies and volunteers.
HEAR US staff and board members, along with a representative from the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, were on hand to talk to every family coming through the Harkness Center doors.
Back-to-school time, dreaded by parents for the financial blow to the household budget, is even harder on economically challenged families. Aurora has its share, with over 17,000 people at or below poverty level at pre-economic meltdown estimates. The city's two main school districts, 131 and 129, divided by the Fox River, serve a sizable chunk of poverty-level children and teens, including Aurora's significant uncounted Hispanic population, well represented in the fair attendees.
The district divide is more entrenched than simply geographic. The east side of Illinois' second largest city has most of the poverty. The common belief is that West schools are better than East. Some would offer that the west side is better than the east, an unwritten premise that steers home buyers away from the substantially worn, but worthy, east side. The underdog east-siders fight for respect, but school budgets, funded largely by property taxes, tilt the playing field for the west.
If some west-siders could have their way, a border fence would be erected to obstruct those deemed undeserving -- the Hispanic population -- especially when it comes to West schools. In some cases, former District 131 students are eligible by law to attend District 129 schools. When a family loses its housing due to hardship, federal and state laws provide that children and youth can attend the school nearest to where they are staying or remain in their old schools. In some cases, that means east side kids can go to west side schools.
Anecdotal incidents of Hispanic surname students getting bounced from West schools caused Mike, a tax-paying west side resident to tell me, "So without accusing District 129 of both overt and covert racism one could draw a logical conclusion that either District 129 openly accepts the practice of ethnocentrism, or district management is unaware of the culture they have created at the middle school management level." Hmm, thought provoking, and worth a serious look by district administrators. Mike's grandson, bearing his Hispanic father's name, is experiencing a residency investigation that seems misguided and hellbent at best.
The thought that race and ethnicity could be behind rigid, seemingly erratic, residency enforcement would appall many sensible people in this city. But who is willing to confront racism? President Obama has tried with mixed results on a national level to get to the heart of the many "isms" holding back this melting pot of a nation. If he gets shot down, what chance do mere mortals have? But we as human beings are called to better behavior. Besides, it's the law.
Heroes in this local saga are families willing to fight publicly for themselves and for the rest of the unnoticed families undoubtedly going through similar experiences of being told their kids have no right to attend West schools. I've met some of them and admire their determination to improve educational opportunities for their kids and others.
The possibility of fraud does exist, but investigating and enforcing in a haphazard, illegal manner serves no one and alienates many. Do kids need lessons in bigotry and prejudice? Or do they need to see adults raising the bar on civil, respectful behavior?
Diane Nilan is president of HEAR US Inc.
Fair teaches lessons in generosity and rights
August 22, 2009
By Diane Nilan
The recent Aurora Back To School Fair provided an impressive opportunity for Aurora families to get not only essential school supplies but also to learn about the important educational rights for families who have lost their place to live.
Despite steamy August heat, hundreds of families with thousands of kids filtered through doors of the Harkness Center, a church-gym facility at First Presbyterian Church that for years has served as distribution site for supplies solicited and handed out to low-income families by agencies and volunteers.
HEAR US staff and board members, along with a representative from the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, were on hand to talk to every family coming through the Harkness Center doors.
Back-to-school time, dreaded by parents for the financial blow to the household budget, is even harder on economically challenged families. Aurora has its share, with over 17,000 people at or below poverty level at pre-economic meltdown estimates. The city's two main school districts, 131 and 129, divided by the Fox River, serve a sizable chunk of poverty-level children and teens, including Aurora's significant uncounted Hispanic population, well represented in the fair attendees.
The district divide is more entrenched than simply geographic. The east side of Illinois' second largest city has most of the poverty. The common belief is that West schools are better than East. Some would offer that the west side is better than the east, an unwritten premise that steers home buyers away from the substantially worn, but worthy, east side. The underdog east-siders fight for respect, but school budgets, funded largely by property taxes, tilt the playing field for the west.
If some west-siders could have their way, a border fence would be erected to obstruct those deemed undeserving -- the Hispanic population -- especially when it comes to West schools. In some cases, former District 131 students are eligible by law to attend District 129 schools. When a family loses its housing due to hardship, federal and state laws provide that children and youth can attend the school nearest to where they are staying or remain in their old schools. In some cases, that means east side kids can go to west side schools.
Anecdotal incidents of Hispanic surname students getting bounced from West schools caused Mike, a tax-paying west side resident to tell me, "So without accusing District 129 of both overt and covert racism one could draw a logical conclusion that either District 129 openly accepts the practice of ethnocentrism, or district management is unaware of the culture they have created at the middle school management level." Hmm, thought provoking, and worth a serious look by district administrators. Mike's grandson, bearing his Hispanic father's name, is experiencing a residency investigation that seems misguided and hellbent at best.
The thought that race and ethnicity could be behind rigid, seemingly erratic, residency enforcement would appall many sensible people in this city. But who is willing to confront racism? President Obama has tried with mixed results on a national level to get to the heart of the many "isms" holding back this melting pot of a nation. If he gets shot down, what chance do mere mortals have? But we as human beings are called to better behavior. Besides, it's the law.
Heroes in this local saga are families willing to fight publicly for themselves and for the rest of the unnoticed families undoubtedly going through similar experiences of being told their kids have no right to attend West schools. I've met some of them and admire their determination to improve educational opportunities for their kids and others.
The possibility of fraud does exist, but investigating and enforcing in a haphazard, illegal manner serves no one and alienates many. Do kids need lessons in bigotry and prejudice? Or do they need to see adults raising the bar on civil, respectful behavior?
Diane Nilan is president of HEAR US Inc.