Opinion: Why the new CMS zoning lines shouldn’t matter

The new CMS boundary lines, released on Tuesday, outline a plan that affects up to 75 schools in the district. I watched my Facebook feed blow up with people speculating what this would mean for “their” school. How the student population would change seemed to be the primary concern.

Much of this was accompanied by joking about the need to move, homeschool or reapply for the lottery. While that may all be in jest, the implication is that all students are deserving of a quality education or that all students cannot learn side by side.

Here’s the thing — it’s perfectly okay to want what is best for your child. Maybe you recognize that your child is better suited to independent learning and so Montessori is for you. Maybe your child needs structure and your schedule demands proximity and so your neighborhood school is for you. This type of reflection is a vital part of helping your student to be a successful, life-long learner.

The problem arises when the concern over boundaries is misplaced. The conversation that I have heard surrounding these new boundary lines has primarily been in regards to demographics. In fact, a need for diversity is the driving factor behind these decisions.

So, it is frustrating and disheartening to hear that parents will want to change schools simply because a new neighborhood of kids will be joining theirs. The school itself is not changing — and do we really believe that all students are not entitled to the same education?

We are raising children of the world. More than ever, we are connected to one another –isolating kids by race or socio-economics will only serve to further divide us in the long run. Consider for a moment if the parents of the more affluent schools who will now  see a more diverse population were to stay. Imagine if they adopted a village mentality–”my kids are worthy of the same education as all kids”–and poured their abundant resources (time, money, education) in those schools.

Imagine if we committed to bridging the gap for the kids who cannot build that bridge themselves.

I say this as a parent who has chosen to send their child to a Title 1 school. These schools are defined as such because of their high incidence of low income students. My decision to move my child from a less diverse, more affluent school to the one she currently attends was motivated by my experience as a teacher.

I have seen firsthand how “bad” schools can employee phenomenal teachers just as I have seen that “good” schools can foster complacency in some. Ultimately, I feel strongly that my child’s educational experience is largely influenced by my involvement and attitude. I also feel that she should learn and play alongside the people in her community if she is to become a well-rounded citizen.

The end goal should not be an identical education for all because not all children learn in the same way. However, it is imperative that our mentality shifts to one of inclusion and accessibility where children with the same needs are met with the same resources regardless of race, financial standing or arbitrary lines on a map.

This story was written for CharlotteFive’s latest channel for parents in the QC, called QC Playground. Sign up for the weekly QC Playground newsletter here.

Photo Credit: QC Playground Staff

This story was originally published April 30, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Opinion: Why the new CMS zoning lines shouldn’t matter."