LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - With a school shooting and an opioid crisis weighing on the minds of many parents and students, the charter school Lisa Academy decided to work on those problems today.
Their first ever “Parent Academy” hopes to promote parental awareness. Parents filled chairs at Lisa West and Lisa North, both campuses held separate workshops.
“We can't any longer say, well that's the schools this and that's the parents this. No, it's a partnership,” said Rick Koris, one of many parents who spent their Saturday learning.
Lisa Academy hosted the free event to enhance student achievement inside and outside the classroom.
“Parents have a lot to deal with today. Kids are faced with so many different things that prevent them from doing a good job in school, and there are many things parents need to know about in helping to plan the future for their kids,” Luanne Baroni said, an administrator at Lisa Academy.
Through rotating sessions, parents learned about teen suicide, college readiness, and personal finance.
“As a parent it's so easy to tell my son get ready for college, you've got to do this and this and this. But as parents, we've got take that role,” Koris said.
Parents also learned about drug prevention and healthy living.
Koris has two children who attend Lisa Academy and is thankful they're going above and beyond to make sure his children and others are ready to take on the world.
“You just have to look at what was in the news last week with the school shooting and what was going on, you have to be a part of your school and your school has to be a part of the community,” he added.
Class sessions aim to provide parents the confidence needed to tackle difficult, yet necessary, discussions with their children.
School faculty think that conversations in the household lead to a better lifestyle, better choices and a more promising future for the next generation.
“The parents seemed to be pretty engaged. The presenters are coming to us as volunteers and come with expertise background. Parents are able to ask questions and interact,” said Baroni.
Guest speakers who volunteered their Saturday and ranged from doctors, financial advisors, college professors and engineers.