On July 10, 20 Henry High Hmong family members made their voices heard at the Minneapolis school board meeting.
They told school board members that they wanted the Go-To city bus to be optional, with school bus rides available for the 2012-2013 school year.
The parents told school board members that they were concerned for the safety of the children, and angry that they were not consulted on the plans to switch to city buses.
They said that many Hmong families still do not know about the city bus plans, and more time is needed to answer parent’s many questions. The also said that if the Go Card was an option, and some Henry students use the card without problems, it was the best way to help persuade Hmong families that using the Go-To card can be safe.
Hmong Family Members Talk with School Staff
After the testimony to the school board members, the Hmong families talked with school staff about their concerns that so many parents don’t know about switch to city buses, and their worries that some Hmong families will choose to transfer their children to schools that provide school buses.
Victory!
The trip to the Minneapolis school board meeting caps 3 months of efforts by Henry High Hmong families to get the optional Go-to card and keep school buses available for the 2012-2013 school year. Since late April Hmong students and familes have collected more than 1100 postcards and sent them to two school board members: met with school board members Monserrate and Ellison: sent letters to all the school board members: testified to the Minneapolis school board: and gone on Hmong radio. They have gotten coverage for their concerns on channel 5, the Star Tribune, Hmong Times, Asian American Press, North News, and Camden News.
Henry Asian club members also briefed several North Minneapolis elected officials about the school bus concerns at the Victory Neighborhood Ice Cream Social
Henry Asian Club Member Beth Vang Explains Family Safety Concerns to Councilmember Barb Johnson At Victory Neighborhood Ice Cream Social
State Representative Joe Mullery Hears about Safety Concerns of Hmong Families from Henry Asian club officers
Henry High Asian Club Officers Talk School Buses with State Representative Bobby Joe Champion
High-Five For Bobby Joe Champion!
I Can See Myself On TV!
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