The headline in the Raleigh News & Observer telegraphs what occurs when parents are at the mercy of a one-size-fits-all traditional education system.

Wake County parents plead for changes to student assignment proposal

 

Here’s the reality of not being able to decide for yourself:

Jennifer Covington, a Haddon Hall parent, complained that families felt like they were “pieces in a chess match.”

“In southwest Wake County, we don’t want neighborhood schools because we hate diversity or we’re afraid of diversity,” she said. “We love our community. We love our neighborhoods and we love our children. We’re asking for some stability.”

Some speakers from Holly Springs High School balked at being reassigned out of their town to the new Apex Friendship High School.

“You really affect kids when you move them from a school they’re already in,” said Chris Deshazor, a parent at Holly Springs High.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Funding should follow the student, putting the student and his/her parents in the driver’s seat and able to select the best schools for their individual needs. It could be that location is key for some parents. For others, it could be a particular specialty curriculum. Still others may be looking for a school that provides religious education. The point is that needs vary from student to student and family to family. What a shame it is that many are now subjected to decisions that are best for the system, not for them.