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Parents press Clayton County board for consistent school rules and better supervision after incidents
Summary
During public comment at the April 13 meeting parents urged the board for clearer district guidance, consistent school-level practices, vetted parent volunteers for supervision, and more urgent action on safety after several recent student incidents.
Parents used the public comment period at the Clayton County Board of Education's April 13 meeting to press the board for clearer district guidance on school-level administrative autonomy, consistent family engagement policies, and stronger approaches to student supervision.
Maria Marino, who identified herself as a parent at Unidos, told the board she has raised concerns repeatedly over two years and does not feel parents' voices are fully heard. She urged the board to provide consistent district-level guidance rather than allowing school-by-school preference to create confusion and potential safety risks. Marino said vetted parent volunteers ("village on patrol" style initiatives) could be an added layer of supervision for schools where staff shortages leave students less supervised during activities such as cross-country practice.
"Safety is not subjective. It is a responsibility," Marino said, urging consistency, transparency and equal access so "every child deserves the same opportunity to thrive and every parent deserves the right to be part of that journey."
Fabiola Requeenas (self-identified as a parent at Unios Dual Language School) described a safety incident involving her daughter that left the child feeling unsafe. Requeenas said she had raised the matter with school personnel without receiving a satisfactory resolution and asked the board to prioritize student supervision, clear communication when incidents occur, and accountability when protocols are not followed.
Both parents asked the board to make student safety a clear priority and to provide consistent, district-wide standards that reduce variability between schools.
The board heard additional comments from community leaders about youth programming and family engagement; members noted those concerns would be "duly noted" or added to future agendas where appropriate.
Next steps: The board indicated issues requiring administrative follow-up would be noted for the administration to address and that items requiring possible board action could be added to future agendas.
