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home / Opinions
Is the MUSD populated by phantom students?
Letter
Friday, May 13, 2011
Dear Editor,
The attached letter is one I mailed to Superintendent Jeff Kleck and all five of the Maricopa Unified School Board members just over a month ago.
Since no one has contacted me regarding this important matter, I can only assume they do not consider the matter important enough.
With so many education-related issues in the news, especially here in Maricopa, I thought they would want to address this, but evidently I was wrong.
If you could print this letter or at least publish the information, perhaps the issue might be addressed and resolved.
Thank you.
Kitty Carlisle
Editor’s Note: The following is the letter sent to Superintendent Kleck and the School Board. The name of the student has been removed. No further editing has been done.
March 8, 2011
Dear Mr. Kleck,
In September, 2010, I received a Progress Report from Maricopa High School for my daughter, (name), who is in the ninth grade.
I must admit I was surprised to see she had three As and two Fs listed on the Report. As a concerned parent, I immediately emailed the teachers listed, asking for more specific details of my daughter’s progress in their respective classes.
Up to this point, this may not seem an extraordinary action on the part of either the school or myself. Except that my daughter does not attend Maricopa High School, nor have I ever registered her to attend the high school.
Only one of the five teachers ever responded to my emails; she stated that she had no (name) Carlisle in her classroom (though she evidently felt my daughter deserved an F). Is it normal practice in the MUSD for teachers to give a grade of any kind to students on their rosters, regardless of whether those students actually show up? Why is an F any more acceptable than an A? Why wasn’t it ever questioned whether (name) was actually a student of the school? If (name) had been registered and attended classes, how would she have been graded then? If only a name on a roster equates to an A, what incentive do students have to ever show up?
Ironically enough, the receipt of this Progress Report coincided with the release of “Waiting for Superman”, a documentary in which the merits of public schools are addressed and often found lacking. The discourse about just how bad public schools can be sounds a little too familiar and unsettling, as well as unwelcome.
As a resident of Maricopa and an involved parent, I am requesting an investigation into how such a thing could happen. Did the school or district receive monies for (name) “attending” Maricopa High School? Why would three of five teachers give a student a grade of A if that student was never present? As Superintendent, I believe you owe me, the citizens of this city, as well as the citizens of this county, if not also the state, a viable and credible explanation as to why my daughter received a Progress Report of any kind, let alone one with a majority of Honor Roll-eligible grades.
I await your response to this important matter and look forward to an acknowledgement of the disservice I feel was done to the community, as well as an explanation of the current policy regarding attendance and grading. A review of those existing policies appears in order and I would appreciate being notified of any proposed changes.
Sincerely,
Kitty Carlisle
Maricopa, AZ 85139
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Office Online / CopaNews.com
Is the MUSD receiving funds for students who aren't enrolled?
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