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Parents and community members raise concerns about start time safety, library access and reading instruction
Summary
During public comment at the July 10 meeting, speakers urged changes to start times citing child safety, asked for expanded library access and criticized district reading instruction and promotion practices under a recent Indiana law.
Several community members used the public-comment period at the Gary Community School Corp. board meeting on July 10 to press the district on student safety, library access and reading instruction.
Mary Rides said a 15-minute change in morning schedule could place young children on dark streets and asked the district to expand supervised library hours and engage university education students as volunteers: "I think about the babies coming in the morning. It's gonna be dark, and they're gonna be out on the streets."
Chrissy Sass criticized the district's methods for teaching reading and urged adoption of evidence-based approaches. Sass said parents and district practices have produced inflated grading for students who are not reading at grade level and referenced "a new Indiana law that went into effect July 1st" in arguing that promotion of nonreaders must stop. She recommended the speech-to-print method and said some students she tutored made large gains with that approach.
Bruce Curry, speaking for his local NAACP chapter, welcomed the superintendent and urged positive community advocacy and sustained parental engagement to support the district's work.
The speakers offered specific suggestions — partnering with nearby universities for library staffing and using targeted reading interventions — and asked the board and superintendent what steps they plan to take. The transcript records the concerns and recommendations but does not include a board response that commits to a specific policy change during this meeting.
