Parents and families of Buffalo Public School students got an opportunity to learn and engage in their child’s education, Saturday. At the first Parent Power and Partnership Summit, experts from city school districts led discussions on how to advocate for children. Mia Ayers Gross is a mother of two children currently in the Buffalo Public Schools. She shared her concerns over issues with public transportation for student.
"Currently children are only allowed to ride the bus that is on their card, and they can only ride the bus for about two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, which is difficult if they have to go to an after-school program or any type of extra-curricular activity," said Gross.
Ayers says she feels confident that representatives of the Buffalo School District who were at the Summit will try to find answers to hers and other questions. She was disheartened that more parents didn’t show up to the event, but says it only makes her want to be more aggressive in spreading the word about parent advocacy in her community.
Say Yes Buffalo was the main organizer of the summit through GradNation, an effort to boost graduation rates nationwide. School leaders at the summit helped parents and offered to research questions they couldn't answer Saturday.
About 100-pre-registered for the event. Master District council member Demone Smith helped kickoff the summit with spirited opening remarks, putting a positive spin on the low attendance. He encourage the parents who attended to go back and spread the word of parent engagement.
