City schools: Youngstown parents need to get involved for student success

YOUNGSTOWN — City schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn says the piece that’s missing in the school system is parental involvement, and he introduced a consultant who offers to write a prescription to address it.

“We know learning starts at home,” Hathorn said at today’s school board meeting. “We have the students five to six hours a day. The learning needs to continue.”

Kevin Harris of Harris Enterprise International LLC, based in Atlanta, is a Youngstown native and city schools graduate. His company has a program called Parents as Partners.

“Parental involvement starts at home,” he said.

When he was growing up, he said his mother established a zero-tolerance policy so the schools didn’t have to do it. But he also had a support system that extended beyond his parents. That’s something that’s lacking in many children’s lives today.

The company, which is set to give a presentation at Thursday’s Youngstown City Schools Academic Distress Commission, hasn’t submitted a proposal to the district so the costs of the program for the district haven’t been determined.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com