Letter to the Editor: Island School board disavows dissemination of misinformation

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Island School, I am writing to clarify the position of both the School Board and the School’s Administration with regard to the recent controversy surrounding the future of children’s programming sponsored by the Friends of Boca Grande.

The Island School has long been an ardent supporter of the efforts of The Friends of Boca Grande in providing high-quality pre-school programs and after school activities for the children of the working families of Boca Grande. In concert with the academic opportunities provided by The Island School, these Community Center programs have afforded local families the assurance that this is a community that embraces children, values their contribution to the fabric of our community life and is committed to very high standards in their education and upbringing.

The suggestion, contained in a recent press report on the issue, that the Board or the Administration of The Island School played any role in the “misinformation” regarding the termination of these vital programs is simply not supported by the facts.

Prior to the regularly scheduled Island School Board Meeting on March 1, 2012, representatives of the Friends of Boca Grande requested a meeting with Island School Principal Rosa Ramos, at which time they informed her that for reasons rightly and entirely their own, the Friends were very seriously contemplating terminating their sponsorship of the After School Program and sought her assistance in determining ways to save it.

Ms. Ramos properly reported this request to her Board in an effort to enlist the Board’s support in exploring opportunities for assistance in ensuring that such critical programming would not be lost to the Boca Grande community.

The notion that this report to The Island School Board somehow precipitated the firestorm of concern expressed at a subsequent informational meeting that had been previously organized by the Friends group for their program constituents is simply not borne out by any objective consideration of the factual details of the events in question.

The Island School applauds the efforts of the Friends of Boca Grande to reach out to colleagues and constituents alike in their deliberations on this issue and congratulates the Friends on their ultimate decision to leave these popular and community-defining programs in place.

The Island School will continue its unwavering commitment to provide an outstanding elementary education to the youngest members of this special community and will continue with diligence to encourage and support any and all child-centered initiatives that so enrich the life of the Island.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Island School,

Margo Freeman, President