Sweetwater Middle Parents and Students Must Decide to Stay or Go

Parents with children at met on Monday, July 25, to hear Principal Georgann Eaton explain how the school and community should proceed after  for the second time in two consecutive years. Missing this education measure has resulted in Sweetwater being designated as a “Needs Improvement” school.

Sweetwater failed to make AYP in Mathematics for Students with Disabilities, English Language Learners, and Black Students as well as in Reading/English Language Arts for Students with Disabilities.

Hearing from a friend that Sweetwater had failed to meet AYP standards, Angela Gause and her 11 year old son Owen attended the meeting. She said while her questions were answered, she will probably decide to transfer. Owen, who would be entering the sixth grade, said he would like to attend . Gause said she has concerns about her son attending a school that did not meet AYP standards.

“While I am wondering if I am making the right decision in transferring; I don’t know that. I am just trying to do what is best for him,” said Gause. “He would be in the gifted program, therefore not in the main stream, but I don’t want to take that chance. I am afraid to send him to a school that did not meet (AYP standards).”

AYP as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Program allowing parents and students the option of transferring from Sweetwater to either Dacula or middle schools.  

“Both Dacula and Twin Rivers are excellent, and they are both doing a terrific job of moving their kids forward,” said Eaton, “but I would want my children to come here. Because no matter what they are going to be cared for here; they are going to receive what they need.”  

Eaton told parents they should not let one test, or one grade on a report card define their child. She urged the parents to let their child stay at Sweetwater to make the school and community stronger together. Telling parents that it is their choice, Eaton said she would support their decision.

If parents decide to stay at Sweetwater, they were encouraged to join the School Council to get involved.  

“You know people are saying the school has failed these students; I could not disagree more strongly,” said Tracey Gray, “I believe our parents and community are failing our children. Parents should come out more and ask questions in the PTA. We are applying a band-aid without determining solutions to the problems in our community.”

She suggested parents network to tell each other about what is going on at Sweetwater and the community at large. Noting the low attendance at a meeting of this importance, Gray said was indicative of parents’ lack participation.   

This is Gray’s second year as parent with a child attending Sweetwater. She previously left the Sweetwater community, but was not welcomed at the new school. And she said the school that she transferred her son, eighth grader Omar Gray, to had also failed to meet AYP standards. So she and her son returned to Sweetwater.

In 2008, Eaton said when students and parents left, that when they returned, they were welcomed back with open arms.

“This is home,” and calling on students to help Eaton said, “no matter where you go and no matter what you do, you are always loved here at Sweetwater.”

Parents were notified of Sweetwater’s “Needs Improvement” designation and about the meeting in a letter that was mailed on Thursday of last week, but was not received by many in attendance until hours before the meeting was held.

“I am a concerned parent making sure that my daughter gets the proper tools that she needs to get a good education,” said Barbara Perrin. “We received the letter today. It shocked me to get a letter thirty minutes before the meeting started.”

Perrin’s daughter is coming from and is slated to start at Sweetwater, but she and her husband are considering the other options. She said they are leaning toward Twin Rivers because of their ninety-eight percent .

When asked if Sweetwater had a plan to meet AYP standards, Eaton said the plan is to stay the course and that it is working.

Carol Grady, Director of Federal & Special Programs when asked how did Sweetwater miss passing AYP said, “The bar is raised so high. You can make progress, but you have to meet these marks. The school made twenty of these indicators, but it only takes one subgroup (to affect the overall measurement).”

Sweetwater will not know its exact failure rate until summer school test results are reported. But it is currently struggling in the areas of mathematics and getting non-speaking English students to comprehend the language well enough to read and write it to take standardized tests.  

Parents asked questions about the federal transportation reimbursement program. If a parent chooses to transfer their child they become eligible to receive monetary compensation for travel expenses incurred in transporting their children to and from their new middle school. This compensation is only good while Sweetwater is in the “Needs Improvement” status.

Once Sweetwater comes off of the non-AYP status, then parents who have transferred will once again have to decide whether return to Sweetwater or stay where they are. It does not matter what they decide, but the transportation reimbursement will end.

Students who transfer to other schools, after eighth grade graduation, must return to the Sweetwater Cluster to attend high school. In most cases Berkmar High School, which also missed AYP for the second time in a row this year.

Schools on the AYP “Needs Improvement” retain that status until they make AYP for two consecutive years.   

The deadline for choice transfers is Friday, August 5th.