CLEARFIELD – Approximately a half dozen parents pushed the Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors to bolster its current gifted program and challenge students at Monday night’s regular meeting.
Parent Kathleen Hillard said that the district had a regular staff member who supervised the program. She said in the recent past, the district cut the position and used other teachers to fill in during their plan periods.
“The staff does not have a clue,” she said of their knowledge about the students’ activities and assignments within the program.
She said that the teachers use the time to grade papers for other courses. She also said that they do not receive progress reports for their children.
“No progress reports. We want to see them,” Hillard said, continuing that she’s been told that she’s the only parent who complains to school officials.
“Sorry. But I am interested in my child’s education. My daughter would like to leave the program. She says that she gets nothing from it.”
Hillard said that her daughter is an “A” student, and she will support her although she isn’t happy about it.
Parent Patrick Powers said he has two daughters in the program. He said that they have friends in the program as well.
“They’re not cultivated and nurtured like they should be,” he said.
He said the district has “exceptionally bright” students who he believes could rival those around the country.
“We could have the cure for cancer right here in the Clearfield area. The district needs to invest in these students. They are our future,” Powers said.
Powers said these students need to be more challenged by faculty members.
“They need pushed. They want to be bushed,” he said.
Parent Bob Aleksivich said he wondered why his child had not brought home homework. He said he had spoken with other parents who told him their children were overwhelmed and unable to participate in other activities as a result.
Aleksivich said that he was present for a mathematics course, while the students worked on problem solving skills. He said that he not only observed his child’s work but the others at surrounding desks as well.
He said his child who is apart of the gifted program was steps ahead in the thought and solution processes. Afterward, he said the students were asked if they wanted to complete additional problems at home or in class the following day.
“Out of about 30 students, only one or two wanted the homework,” he said. “Now, I know why mine doesn’t have a lot.”
Like the others, parent Jeanie Jacobs said her daughter is also in the program and indicated that she had tested into enrichment at the kindergarten level.
“It was very encouraging and certainly beneficial for her,” she said of her daughter’s early experiences in the program. “But our students need enrichment to the same degree that they receive it at the elementary and middle school levels.”
She said as a sophomore, her daughter achieved a near perfect mark in Advanced Placement Statistics. She said that they have given consideration to other educational opportunities at nearby universities.
“They told us that they’ve never had a sophomore in their program. But they said that they didn’t have a policy, stating that they could not either,” Jacobs said.
“These students need our support. Like (they’ve) all said, these are our best and brightest.”
Board president R. Denning Gearhart asked the parents if they knew that the district had discussed its gifted program at a recent meeting.
“No, we didn’t. If we had, we would have been here,” Hillard said.
Board Vice President Dave Glass said that he agreed with the parents. He suggested that the district revisit the program again.