86 third, fourth and fifth graders at Viers Mill Elementary School missed watching the movie, Wonder, so they could march in the field behind their school and voice their displeasure at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for removing their Title 1 status next year.
Loss of that designation means Brookhaven, Viers Mill, Oak View and Strathmore elementary schools each will receive more than $400,000 less and will no longer have multiple paraeducators working with their neediest students, many who are immigrants living in Spanish speaking homes.
Friday at 10:30 a.m., the students walked and ran onto the field, chanting Title 1, We Want Funding, More Money and Bring Back Title 1.
Video by Narissa Johnson
“We are here today, because our school has lost Title 1, and we want it back. Hopefully MCPS will notice that and say, ‘Shoot, these kids really want it,” said Beatrix, a fourth grader.
“I have the most wonderful teachers. If we lost Title 1, they will go to other classes and we will miss them,” she said.
Callie, a fourth grader, said her girl scout troop has been planning this walk out for weeks and made many of the signs. She was nervous at first, wondering, “Will we get in trouble?”
But several students sat down with Principal Matt Hawkins and worked out the rules. Hawkins restricted the walk out to fourth and fifth graders, but several students said some third graders and younger siblings joined the march as they went outside.
Following the walkout, Callie said her friends were empowered, and Beatrix said, “I could see in their faces. They were proud.”
Callie’s mother, Catrina Williams, also was proud, “immensely so. They’ve really been working hard. They had a sit down with the principal and told him their intention.”
Williams stood by as the students “were running and then eventually got into formation and started marching. There was a lot of energy.”
Many of the students were clad in blue and white, the Jaguars’ school colors.
Leo, a fourth grader, opted for the role of school reporter and documented the event with his pencil and small notepad. “I think everyone was really excited and nervous. I’d say happy.”
Many students participated while others opted not to miss the movie, he said.
His mother, Laurel Kennedy, helped her girl scout troop participate. She is concerned for the future of the students and also annoyed that parents only found out about the change during a PTA meeting and were not informed by MCPS.
MCPS is no longer using the number of students who qualify for free and reduced meals as a criterion for Title 1 status. Instead, they are counting participation in federal programs, include SNAP food benefits, and homelessness.
Some families qualify for SNAP but are leery of filling out federal forms, Kennedy said. If she had been told about the district’s revisions, she would have helped families fill out the necessary forms, she said.
Lucia Almidon, whose two students attend Viers Mill, said the school’s newer students need extra support to learn the language. Her children are bilingual and do assist other students, she said, adding that is not enough.
“Less teachers means the kids are going to be less supervised,” she said, adding, “I know my kids are in a good school. There are a lot of teachers around.”
Viers Mill elementary school students walked out of class today to protest their school's loss of title one status @mymcmedia @mocoboe @MCPS pic.twitter.com/POT60rco0B
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) March 22, 2024
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