Bridging the Gap
I just wrapped up three incredible years of serving as the PTA President at Fern Bluff Elementary. One of my biggest goals as president was to grow the campus PTA and increase participation to give every campus family a seat at the table. Through collaborative efforts with the executive board and committee chairs, we increased membership by bringing parents of younger students into leadership roles, and making meaningful accommodations that allow for the participation of families from a variety of family structures such as dual-income households, single-parent families, and families with students or other members with disabilities. As a result of these efforts, our PTA earned multiple membership awards over that three year period, including the Voice for Every Child Gold award for membership equal to at least 75% of campus enrollment, and the Golden Apple award for recruiting 100% of school faculty.
Prior to accepting the president role, I created and chaired the campus PTA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee which focuses on bringing initiatives that allow for ALL students on campus to be seen, connected, and included. During my time as the chairperson of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, we implemented the Texas PTA Kids First Program, created event accommodations so that students with disabilities could experience campus events like trunk-or-treat and the school carnival (many for the first time), and launched Sesame Street’s Beautiful Me project on our campus. The Beautiful Me project offered our school the opportunity to bring together in-person and virtual learners who were given a pick-up option for the materials. After broadcasting I Am Somebody, we distributed flesh-toned crayons to every student, encouraged students to think of how we can be strong in who we are, and gave them the option to create portraits of themselves with words unique to their identity. The result was an extraordinary display of all of the individual identities that make up our school community.
Beautiful Me Project @ Fern Bluff Elementary School
In addition to volunteering with my campus PTA, I am a member and incoming chairperson of the RRISD Council of PTA's Diversity and Inclusion committee. I also serve as the PTA Liaison for the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) and participate in the RRISD Surrogate Parent Program.
I firmly believe that ALL children should know that they belong. ALL children should feel safe and supported in who they are. Learning at their full potential only comes when their emotional needs are met. The data from the current student outcome projections shows tremendous gaps where various student populations are being underserved. Our district needs help understanding the equity issues surrounding these gaps in order to create an aggressive plan for bridging them. I look forward to learning and working with all stakeholders to make this a reality.