Freeport’s school superintendent, Dr. Eric Eversley, has dropped the ball once again.

On Friday, June 28, 2002, Freeport’s Junior and Senior High School parents arrived home from work and found a letter from the District alerting them that the final date for Summer School registration was earlier in the day at 12:00 p.m. The district in bold letters stated: "Students and/or a parent must be present between 8:00 - 11:30 in order to register for summer classes on those days... No exceptions will be made."

The letter went on to state: "All students must be formally registered in order to receive a schedule of classes." "Preregistration will be taking place by mail through guidance June 17 - June 26."

True to form, Eversley ignored the Latino parent population, which is approximately 50% of the Jr. and Sr. High School population and didn’t send the mandatory Spanish translation. The correspondence included a contract that had to be signed by both the parent and the student.

Freeport Schools
Smoke Signals Would Work Better

By Stewart S. Lilker

Freeport Superintendent, Dr. Eric Eversley, and the School Board have repeatedly claimed that they want the public to be involved in the district, attend school board meetings, and use the district web site to stay informed and involved. If the district really believed this, it appears it would be better off using smoke signals than the  Internet to advise residents of meeting cancellations and changes. 

The district web site, another contradiction of the district’s motto, "Educational Excellence," states on its home page in a box titled "Board of Education Announcements" that there is a "Change of Meeting Date and Location" and that there is a Special Public Hearing" scheduled. As of Wednesday afternoon, at 03:30 p.m., if one clicks on the links, they found they linked to nowhere.

The district’s web site was last updated on Monday, June 3d. The school calendar lists a school board planning meeting for tonight, June 5th. Anyone who has checked the web site since Monday wouldn’t have a clue about what is going on. Once again, Freeport’s Superintendent, Dr. Eric Eversley, doesn’t either.

One of the secretaries in the high school office made copies of the notices for your reporter. Paradoxically, the special public hearing, which is scheduled for June 12, 2002, concerns the Internet. The other notice announces the June 5th meeting has now been rescheduled for June 12, 2002. As is the new practice of the district, both notices are undated.