The City Schools of Decatur (aka CSD) recently invited parents and teachers to speak about their experiences with dyslexia in Decatur schools. With an overflow crowd of more than 100, the school board and superintendent heard from more than 30 parents whose kids have struggled with reading, and they heard from a few students and teachers as well. Many parents talked about having to hire private tutors or send their kids to special schools. When describing how their kids finally learned to read, parents mentioned the term “Orton-Gillingham” many, many times.
The stories were so emotional that speakers, audience members and even board members were crying. Superintendent Dr. David Dude immediately began taking steps to learn more about dyslexia and to connect with dyslexia experts in the Atlanta area. At the August 8 board meeting, he noted that his team was hard at work on the 87 questions posed to him by the board members.
Board members were clearly moved by what they heard and voiced concerns over the kids whose parents didn’t know their kids were struggling with reading or couldn’t afford private tutors. They also stressed that Decatur schools should provide more than the minimum, and that kids should be taught to achieve their maximum potential.
Decaturish published an article about the CSD dyslexia listening session including interviews with several CSD parents. Read the article here.
