Options for all students

By JILLIAN O’FLAHERTY

Sheridan High School Student

Since 2012, there are more than 6,800 charter schools in the US, educating more than three million students. Charter schools operate independently from district schools, but they are still public schools. These types of schools operate under a contract, or a “charter”, entered into between the school and its authorizing agency. This charter allows them significant freedom to pursue any specific educational goals in the matters of curriculum, personnel, budget, etc. As public schools, charter schools are prohibited from charging students tuition to attend.

Charter schools’ main focus is on students’ academic achievements. Recent studies have shown the average charter school student outperforms his or her peers in traditional schools. Many of these students who attend charter schools, like the Noblesville Options Charter School, are students who did not perform or behave well in a traditional public school environment, which resulted in the suspension or expulsion from their schools. Charter schools are not a part of states’ districting zones, so there are very few limitations when it comes to where students live. Students’ attendance at charter schools is decided by parents or guardians, rather than assignment to a school district based on geography.

Since charter schools do not have district zones and charter schools typically do not have school buses, students are forced to find other means of transportation. Sheridan High School has recently started to supply students who attend Noblesville Options Charter School with bus rides to that school. Even if some students do not succeed in attending school at Sheridan Community Schools, the district is willing to help these students succeed somewhere else by transporting them there.

Many students who drop out do not try to finish their high school education. Others do not finish because they do not receive support, and giving these kids a means of transportation is showing some support that might help them make it and earn their diplomas. The fact that Sheridan Community Schools is willing to do this shows that they care about students’ success in and out of their community. The Sheridan administration realizes that some students need a different atmosphere to learn and that that cannot always be in their schools.

Many people do not know that Sheridan is supplying kids with transportation to get an education elsewhere. I believe Sheridan Community Schools deserves a lot of credit for doing something like this. The Sheridan administration goes out of their way to be generous in many different situations. Because of the selflessness that the faculty continuously shows, my fellow students and I are very proud to say we are Blackhawks.