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Parents urge district to expand hourly childcare for volunteers and raise concerns about suspension communication
Summary
During public comment, speakers described a new hourly childcare resource to help parents volunteer in schools and reported cases where parents say they were not given timely communication about student suspensions; speakers urged principals and district staff to increase outreach and responsiveness.
Three members of the public addressed the board during the April 8 public-comment period, urging the district to promote hourly childcare for volunteers and describing concerns about communication and handling of student suspensions.
Cassie Hajala said she has been working to expand hourly childcare options so more parents can volunteer in schools and participate in their children’s education. She cited North Carolina General Statute 95-28.3 (the “small necessities” law) and said employers must provide up to four hours of unpaid leave per year for parents to attend school activities. Hajala said she formed a nonprofit, Volunteer Village Company, to partner with local childcare providers to offer hourly childcare free of charge; providers include an in-home center, a new hourly center opening soon and a nanny-referral service. She asked the board to “urge the principals here to start pushing this out to the parents, letting them know that it's a resource available to them,” and offered to provide brochures.
Crystal Robinson, a parent and current child-protective-services investigator who previously worked as a school social worker, said her 6-year-old son has been suspended twice since February 2025 and that her requests for meetings and classroom observations were denied. She described repeated attempts to reach school administrators and said she received limited responses; she asked the board for help and said she felt she had “no help and nowhere to turn.”
Jennifer Thomas, a grandmother and guardian of two students at Sandy Grove, described a recent suspension of her grandson (an EC student) that she said followed an altercation on the playground in which her grandson “was defending himself.” She said administrators did not notify her promptly about the injury and that her phone calls were not returned; she expressed appreciation for a classroom teacher who she said communicates well but said she is concerned about the lack of timely administrative response on disciplinary and safety matters.
Speakers requested better outreach to families about volunteer supports, clearer principal-level communication about suspensions and assistance in ensuring parents can participate in school activities. Board members did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting; items were recorded as public comment.
