What you can do to help?

MORE THAN YOU REALIZE!

What we all need to keep in mind is this: The School Board is elected by us, and our taxes pay the administration. They work for us. We are not at their mercy and we do not have to go along with everything or anything they want to do. Fighting city hall, or in our case the P-OB Board of Ed, is not going to be an easy task. What we need to do is rise up and show them that we mean business. How do we do this?

Attend Board of Ed Meetings

This one is very important. If we are not informed, we can not create change. If the BOE sees that the parents and the community are watching over them, asking tough questions and DEMANDING answers, they will realize that they are accountable to US. Be prepared, these meetings can be long and while it may seem boring to you, every item on the agenda deserves the full attention of the board. The BOE has a job to do and they must handle all of the business in our district. The community does not get the chance to address the board until after the agenda items are handled. Please be patient and courteous during this time. If you hear something that makes you want to speak out, write it down and wait until it is the public's turn to address the board. The next BOE meeting is:
Meetings are held in the the District Building at Mattlin Middle School.

Talk to your teachers

If you are unhappy with the way your child is being taught math (or any subject for that matter) you need to let the people responsible for teaching them know about it. If you don't talk to them, you can't expect them to know how frustrated or upset you are. Our teachers want what is best for our kids. If they hear from enough parents they will report this back to the principal and may even attempt to add more traditional math into the classroom.

Talk to the Principal

The Principals of our schools are a vital part of this equation. They are the ones who create and enforce the policies in their schools and make sure the teachers are following the curriculum they are provided. One of our Principals (at Parkway) was brave and smart enough to actually instruct her teachers to teach traditional math. No wonder Parkway's test scores far exceeded all the other schools in our district! As a parent you must make sure that your principal knows how you feel about the math curriculum.

If you feel your teacher has bombarded your child with last minute review notes and they are making your child cram for the NYS tests, you MUST let the teacher AND your principal know. They are ultimately responsible for this. They MUST be held accountable.

Send emails and letters

Talking is great, but there is something to be said about getting it in writing. People can forget conversations - producing something in writing makes them remember. You can send them to not only your teacher and principal, but the superintendent of schools, the members of the board of education, and this website. We need to speak out and make sure we are heard. Contact info for the P-OB Board of Ed and administration is available here.

Sign the Petition!

If you are in favor of removing Investigations Math curriculum from the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District and having a return to a more traditional math program, please read and sign the petition!

Spread the word!

Tell your neighbors and friends about the POBMATH.COM website and what what we are trying to do. When you get an email from us updating you on the latest information, please forward it to as many people as possible. The more people we can show care about this issue and are willing to voice their opinions, the stronger our message becomes. When you get an email from us updating you on the latest news and information, please forward it to as many people in our community as you can.

TOGETHER WE WILL CREATE CHANGE IN OUR DISTRICT!!!