During the pandemic, some parents have been pushing to fully open schools with little regard for anyone’s safety in order to serve their own interests. With hybrid learning under Plan B starting soon, some CHCCS parents have created a new group called “Why Entitlement Can Affect Really Everyone,” or WE CARE, to counteract the parents who are disrespectful to teachers and the CHCCS district administration.
Joe Rich, the founder and president of the group, said he founded it because he had empathy for what teachers and staff were going through.
“I may have a $10 million house and a $100 million net worth, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t be empathetic to what the district personnel are going through. I used to send a nasty email every once in a while to the superintendent’s office, but now I realize that’s not the way to go.”
Rich speaks at school board meetings to draw attention to WE CARE.
“Look, I want to get back to my $500/hr hot goat yoga class, taught by hot goats, but I understand that that’s not the priority right now. We have to get our students and teachers back safely. That means not being nasty to them and reopening when the district says it’s safe.”
Rich has faced criticism from some parents who believe he is being too kind to the school board.
Al Convins-Zem says that he pressures the school board through scare tactics, such as calling the school board members and sending them 10-paragraph long nasty emails.
“If the school board doesn’t authorize full in-person learning for my students in the next three days, I am going to flip out!” he said. “Those folks at WE CARE think that they can wait until March 22 to get to their hot goat yoga classes, but I call every school board member every day every hour from 9 to 5 because I need to drive to New York to buy a Bugatti. I can’t leave my 17-year old kids at home for a whole day.”
Rich begs to differ.
“Look, Al can say all he wants about how bad WE CARE is, but let me tell you, Al is wrong on this one,” Rich argued. “Some parents just can’t compromise without nastiness.”
One parent who has steadfastly pressured the school board is Ineva Givup, who says she follows the science.
“Look, I follow the science, ok? I’m a plastic surgeon so I got the vaccine really easily. And if the teachers are having a hard time getting it in time for the school reopening on March 22, that’s on them,” Givup said. “I follow the science, and I have been fighting to reopen the schools ever since early January when I got vaccinated. Since I’m vaccinated, the schools should reopen for my kid, because I won’t get sick.”
Rich says that WE CARE opposes Parental Entitlement. In fact, he says, it’s one of their three mission statements.
Despite this, WE CARE members understand where Convins-Zem and Givup are coming from. However, they disagree with them because they want what’s best for their kids.
“If my kid doesn’t go back on time, he’s not going back at all,” Iment Itled said. “I’d rather wait a few days to get my kid back to school than have to deal with a screaming monster around the house for the next three months. Just don’t tell anyone that’s why I’m waiting. Especially not my kid.”
Rich admits that there are some members of WE CARE who are only part of it because they want to make themselves look good. He puts Itled on this list.
“You have some parents who just want to get on the school board’s good side on this issue, and as soon as their kid is back, they’re going to be complaining about everything else,” Rich noted. “For some of them, WE CARE is just a facade to make themselves look good. The entitlement never goes away.”
Photo Courtesy of Marco Verch/Flickr
