Parents at Academy of Flint are angry

FLINT -- (07/15/10)--Parents at the Academy of Flint say they are angry. The school's PTO says the charter school has laid off a large number of teachers and staff and they fear it will affect student safety.

Members of the PTO say they have tried several times to tell the board the cuts are dangerous, but they say their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

We had a hard time getting administrators' attention as well.

Thelma Towner's daughter used to attend the Academy of Flint charter school. She took her out after what in her eyes was a major accident in the school's cafeteria.

"She was unconscious," Towner said. "She hung upside down for over two minutes before receiving assistance from staff."

She blames the incident on the schools short staff. Since January Towner says the school board has made drastically cut employees. She and several other parents fear the cuts will hurt students.

"they don't have enough people to supervise the kids when they are out playing or in the classrooms," said Celeste Redmond.

Towner was told the reduction was due to budget shortfalls, but she isn't buying it.

"Then they turned around and hired two new people who were supposed to be MEAP consultants, so we didn't understand that," Towner said.

Both say several parents have been trying to get the board to reconsider with letters,  phone calls and e-mails, but to no avail.

"The president of the board either will not respond to us, or they say they will get back to you and you just never hear from them," Towner said.

The principal did not return our phone call, but we did speak with the school's attorney, who says she could not confirm or deny that anyone was laid off.

We caught up with the school's director in the parking lot, but she didn't have much to add, either.

"I have no comment," she said.

Towner and Redmond say they are fed up with being ignored, and for the students' sake, something has got to change.

"It's not about the money," Redmond said. "It's not about the dollars, it's about the kids."

The PTO plans to picket at the Academy of Flint's board meeting.

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