Hi my name is Jamilah Britton I have lived in both the Normandy and Riverview Gardens School Districts. As a graduate of Normandy I know first-hand that the issues in the district are not new. It has been a problem for generations and we finally have some relief from these poor performing districts. I am a mother of three great kids who deserve the best education possible and our receiving just that through the transfer program.

In Riverview Gardens my son was bullied and passed along in his classes. He hated going to school and everyday was a struggle for him. At the end of his last year in Riverview, the school told me that they wanted to hold him back a grade. The entire year had passed and no one had mentioned how far behind Jaylen had fallen. His teacher never said anything and his report card did not show signs that he was not making the grades. When the transfer program became an option it could have not come at a better time.

I turned in my paperwork right away and was placed in the Kirkwood School District. In no time they found that Jaylen needed help understanding what he was learning. They paired him with a special education assistant and now he has blossomed into a child who wants to learn. He has A’s and B’s in all his classes. He has become excited about school in a way that I have not seen from him before. He wants to do homework and gets upset to miss a day or to be late.

My oldest child has also had a great experience from changing schools. Although last year was a struggle to get her up to grade level, the school has been very helpful with offering tutoring and having caring teachers that encourage her to get all her work done even when it’s not for their class. She feels happy and comfortable with the staff to the point where she confides in them.

It is my belief that at Kirkwood my children are being truly prepared for college and at Riverview they would be receiving a meaningless diploma. The difference in the management of the schools is undeniable and nothing would make me happier than to see my children be able to stay in the Kirkwood School District. I am asking you to please find a way for my children to stay transferred. I don’t want them to be victims of the broken educational system.