I am a mother of three children who attend Hawthorne School. We have been very pleased with the level of education our children are receiving. I believe the teachers and staff go above and beyond what their jobs require.

We received a letter from the school district on Aug. 12 that stated that our school had not made annual yearly progress and we were invited to switch schools. I think that is an awful thing our state requires our schools to do. Because kids are not making AYP in one school, we will ship them out to other schools. Does that solve the problem? We need to support our schools and teachers in what they do with our children, but the real education starts in the home. Parents and community members need to take a hard look at how we educate and whose responsibilty is when we fail.

Cassie Boettcher

Albert Lea