Can Parents Do MORE?

I am often asked the question being a founder of the Newark Parents Union " are parents doing enough to stand up for our children in society today?"  My answer to that is usually the same" As parents working and raising kids in those dedicated to the fight for our children, are doing the best we can!" However, as unpopular as this may sound, is that answer now enough? I say is that enough because we have had almost every day this past week, an issue with lock downs all overt the state.

Taken from
NJ Schools Security Scares

New Jersey on Monday.

"• Cranford High School in Union County and neighboring Brookside Place School operated under a shelter-in-place order after the high school received a threatening phone call around 10 a.m., school officials said.

• At Indian Fields Elementary School in South Brunswick, an all-clear was given after students were evacuated due to reports of two possibly unauthorized people inside the building. Two city librarians were buzzed into the school but did not check in at the main office.

• Macopin Middle School in West Milford was placed on lockdown after a bomb threat was phoned in.

• Marlboro Middle School in New Jersey also received a phone call shortly before 1 p.m., which prompted an evacuation. Kids were taken to another location and then eventually dismissed early.

Meanwhile in Middleton, New York, Maple Hill Elementary School was placed on lockdown after a threat was called in there, police said."

Just today in Newark, there was a lock down as rumors spread around the Ivy Hill Elementary school that a gun was brought into the building! The situation was handled by Newark Police and is under investigation by local police. This latest event happening with 150 security guards being slatted to be laid off!  What is going on in our school systems? Not just in the inner city, but across the state...across the country? Have we as parents, never mind teachers, veered so far off the tracks of parenthood that #2 pencils have been replaced in our children's book bags with 9 millimeters? Have we been distracted with things like fighting against corporate administration clones, Common Core Standards, PARCC, One Newark and State political bullies , that maybe we are dropping the ball at home? Have our kids just had enough and has the adult world that is supposed to be leading the examples gone and pushed them " Over The Edge" 

I am always advocating for the parent voice out in the community and on social media and to me that is a big part of reigning this all back in. They have witnessed a parental loss in power. The see that parents are not standing up as much, included in children rights as much and have been not only excluded from seats at the table we have been pushed away and forced now to sit at the kiddie table! The youth in our society, due to the depiction of today's parents, has forced themselves to protect themselves! Maybe they are running to easier solutions because they have no adult guidance to show them they have someone willing to stand up for them. 

When I go to important legislation hearings and votes on the state level, you would think with all the spotlight issues impacting our children like Education, Nutrition or even Safety are getting in the mainstream media, these important hearings and voting sessions would be packed, wall to wall with parents from across the state. You would think some of these issues would be warrant enough to say " Hey let me see whats going down there at the State House." Now, before you start firing off the hate mails or throwing dagger comments saying" Parents need to work!" Who's going to pay the bills?" I get it, however, to a degree I am sympathetic to that reply. I understand fully the value of parents needing to be in the work place and providing for their families, but when your child's school is closing and you have no more neighborhood school to take them to and have to now run your child way across town, will you tell them " Well, I need to go to work, honey take the bus to Kindergarten?" When your child comes home from school and at the dinner table says" Johnny brought in a gun to school today and showed me!" Will you say " Here's a bullet proof vest, I have to go to work honey!" 

As parents we have abandoned our true PARENT POWER and have let corrupt school administrations, Reality TV, Grand Theft Auto, Social Media and YouTube step in as the roles of raising our kids! No wonder why they are walking into school with Glock's in their bookbags. Half the times we aren't even allowed in the front doors of our schools with out some type of attitude as if we are trespassing. We have relinquished our greatest gift that has been bestowed onto us and that is the POWER OF BEING A PARENT!  With that we have to assume some of the responsibility of the state of turmoil our children are in. If we do not act swiftly in the awareness of our failures, it will not be too long before the entire youth population turns on us! I can't say that I blame them! These are extremely difficult times we are living in and our children need us to take the wheel back! We need to regain our desire to keep our children as the sole priority! When several schools throughout our state within the last few days have had issues with lock downs and security issues, are we going to wait until it is a Waco or Columbine situation before we take our balls out of our kitchen junk draw and start making some really bold moves to show our children, we are back in the game and care about their life force here on this Earth!

On Saturday evening, The Newark Parents Union, hosted a Light Our Night Sky candlelight vigil to show Unity & Hope for our children and specifically our Public Education here in Newark. It was a powerful and monumental. Something never done in our city or our state for that matter! While the turnout far exceeded my expectations, I was saddened to see that there was not a bigger representation of parents across the state! If we start with 30 of the states most dedicated parents looking to get their PARENT POWER back...than that's a small Parent Army and we will be bad ass and fight for changing the way the Parent is viewed in society! WE CAN SURELY DO MORE PARENTS! OUR JOBS ARE NEVER DONE! 24/7 365! 

LET'S GET THAT PARENT POWER BACK PEOPLE!