How do schools work with economic issues in a rural area with a non-white majority population?
- Growing up in the Coachella Valley as a white person was always an interesting experience, especially in school- Hispanic students were the majority, and all faced poverty. While the school district did what it could to help, there was only so much that could be done.
- Many of these programs consist of aid relief so that parents don’t have to spend as much money towards helping their children succeed in school.
- The district’s most popular program is the free/reduced lunch program, which approx. 63% of students are on. LQHS specifically also has an after-school tutoring program, with late buses that run so that kids can find a way home. The district offers discounts on passes for the bus so that parents who work long hours don’t have to worry about children getting home.
- I interviewed the principal of my high school, and the coordinator of the Child Welfare and Attendance program at the district office. The district coordinator (Cathy Bennet) didn’t have as much to quote, but she’s where I learned about the late buses and the discount on passes for the Valley’s bus system. The principal (Rebecca Cook) was where I learned more about the lunch program, and she also said “I’m aware that a lot of our students have struggles at home. We try to do everything we can to help them, because we are our students. If they struggle, we struggle. They come first.”
- I think the school district needs to continue what it’s doing- keeping its focus on the students and making sure that they have the best opportunities to finish their education.