By Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin
Re “The United Parents’ Star Shines More Brightly Afterward Than Before”
Thanks for your coverage of the United Parents of Culver City’s Safety Forum last week at the Vets Auditorium.
Supt. Dave LaRose, Chief Don Pedersen and School Resource Officer Al Casillas all did an excellent job answering questions and communicating what they are actively doing every day to help keep our kids safe.
I was moved by Kathy Paspalis, the School Board President, reading the Sandy Hook Promise, as well as Mayor Andy Weissman's heartfelt closing remarks.
I agree with you that Laura Jane Kessner was a top-notch moderator, and the UPCC team of organizers, including past President Steve Levin, helped ensure that we had a meaningful discussion about safety.
We were all pleased with the turnout by parents and members of the community, including our School Board, City Council and CCUSD employees. It was an excellent cross-section of Culver City. The spirit of community reminded me once again why I am proud to call Culver City my home.
We have had an extremely positive response from forum attendees. What I appreciated most about the forum was its interactive quality. Parents were writing questions, and they were being answered right there, on the spot.
From a parent perspective, that was exactly what I was hoping for. The forum also helped activate parents, who are continuing the safety discussion via email and social media. I encourage people to continue the dialogue. School Safety is a big umbrella. The more we all work together, the better we will collectively be.
As a side note, the accompanying bake sale (helmed by powerhouse mom Lisa Levin), also raised healthy donations for the Culver City Education Foundation.
What's next for United Parents of Culver City?
As you know, we are a non-partisan union of parents advocating for our kids. Our parent-members form Parent Teams to research and organize on issues they care about, and we work cooperatively with the superintendent.
The Safety Form was a good example of how a UPCC parent team can make a positive impact. Our Student Well-Being Team, (chaired by Laura Jane Kessner), is working on all kinds of issues, such as how to protect the physical and emotional well-being and safety of students in Culver City. Other teams include Educational Excellence, Traffic and Parking, and Secondary Parent Engagement, to name a few.
We are working on a written summary of the forum. Meanwhile, your readers who missed the forum can watch it online: http://www.UnitedParentsCulverCity.com/safety
The parent union’s address is unitedparentsculvercity.com
Ms.Wisnosky Stehlin, President of UPCC, may be contacted at jwiz@earthlink.net
