Mississippi bill would allow teachers to grade parents


Rep. Gregory Holloway (D-Hazlehurst) has proposed a bill that would allow teachers to grade parents based on their involvement with their children's education.

Lawmakers are saying that House Bill 4, also known as the Parent Involvement and Accountability Act, is a step in the right direction to hold parents accountable for their children's education.

Holloway said, "It's nothing but a wake-up call to shock parents into reality about the importance of their child’s education."

Fox News reported that the legislation would require a section on student's report cards on which parents are graded on different areas tied to their child's education, such as teacher communication, tardiness, absences, homework completion and readiness for tests.

Grades would be rated as "satisfactory," "in need of improvement" or "unsatisfactory," based on parent involvement.

"Well we know this: That parent involvement is critical. It greatly enhances as child’s chance of being successful," Lowndes County School District superintendent Lynn Wright said. "You know some kids will grow up and be successful in spite of their parents. Some kids will grow up and be failures in spite of all their parents efforts. But the chance of being successful is greatly enhanced with a strong family unit."

Reports said that although Holloway said the bill is serious, there are no fines or penalties associated with not following the bill.

"At that point the parents should be also able to grade teachers in a sense," parent Shondolyn Richardson told WCBI. "Just like bosses, you know they have evaluations and they also evaluate the employees."

Richardson said she is actively involved in her teenage son's education and she is sure she would get high marks from his teachers.

Wright admitted there are outside factors in grading parents.

"A parent may be working 10 hours a night, but they're busting their tails trying to provide for the family," Wright told The Commercial Dispatch. "There are just so many variables with grading the parents."

"We’re all about positive parent involvement in the Lowndes County School District," LCSD assessment supervisor Kristie Jones said. "We want our teachers and our parents to work as team mates, to work together for that student to grow academically."

The bill was passed by the state House of Representatives by a 75-43 vote on March 4 and is under consideration by the Senate.

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