Iowa City elementary plan forgets about family time

I searched for “family” in the Iowa City Community School District 15-page agenda item titled “Re-envisioning our Elementary Schools“ presented at the Sept. 10 meeting. The word “family” was found once. The one mention was the choices families and students would have in regards to academy schools.

I have worked as a paraeducator at several schools — Grant Wood, Mark Twain, Horace Mann and Shimek — and family in all its forms is the one resource students have.

Family time is limited. Parents work. There are activities and sports. Older siblings would not have the option to walk younger siblings to school. Families that have kids under and over second grade would have to plan extra commute time exchanging sidewalks for roads. Families would have to negotiate two sets of before/after school programs.

Schools that house several grade levels generate another type of family — a community of that school. Think about “reading buddies” where older grades meet weekly with the younger grades. Like any combined activity — recess or assemblies — younger students get a live example of what skills they can achieve and older students can see how far they have come.

Split elementaries would end opportunities to develop leadership in our students through mentoring and disrupt the already stressed family time.

Amy Shuttleworth

Iowa City