Letter: Riverview Learning Center issue is 'troubling'

Ormond Beach Observer
Opinion

Riverview is a troubling issue

Dear Editor:

The recent Riverview Learning Center issue in Ormond Beach is troubling both from the indifference of the school district to the concern of the local residents and the failure of our elected School Board representative, Carl Persis, to make any attempt to contact his constituents to inform them of the decision.

As a former Exceptional Student Education teacher in the Volusia County system, I am intimately aware of the types of students referred to Riverview and have, in fact, been involved with placement of several students in that assignment. I received a letter from Volusia County Schools dated March 11 for a meeting planned for March 18. Even if this letter was mailed March 11 and arrived at my home March 12 (I don’t know when it arrived. I had a "Hold Mail" order on my delivery because I was out of town), that only leaves six days for residents to change their schedules or plans in order to attend this meeting. The letter also states that the decision on this assignment was made by the School Board on Feb. 27. That means almost two weeks passed before the district thought it was important enough to inform local residents of the decision and hold a meeting.

Equally as troubling is the question of where my School Board representative, Carl Persis, was during this entire procedure. As a board member, he would have voted in this matter, then conveniently disappeared, failing to contact his constituents to inform us of this pending transfer and find out what we thought or heard our concerns. Of course, I’m sure if there was a hard hat to wear or a shovel to turn, Mr. Persis would have been right there for the camera. But informing his constituents of a major development within his district, well, that appears to be just a little too much to ask.

This entire escapade has been one failure after another and certainly doesn’t give the taxpaying residents (yeah, the people footing the bill!) much confidence in our school district or the officials we elect to represent us. Residents need to keep that in mind when elections come around later this year or we’re asked to contribute more to a financially and civically irresponsible leviathan.

Doug Pettit

Ormond Beach