First day, clear hopes: What parents want from this school year 2025-2026

GREAT BAY--𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴' 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘦 spoke to parents on this first day of the new school year, filled with hope and excitement, some more than their children. Drop off this morning was busy but calm. Uniforms were neat, bags were packed, and parents did what they always do, a quick hug, a reminder to listen, then back into traffic. Across St. Maarten the message was steady. Families want a school year that is safe, fair, and focused...especially safe.

Parents kept it simple. They want teachers who can teach without constant disruption and homework that makes sense, or homework in general. Some parents reported that there simply wasn't enough homework given last school year. They hope that will change. They want rules that are clear and the same for everyone. No surprises at the gate. No confusion about what is allowed.

Safety came up first. Not surprisingly parents, regardless of school, have a strange sense of dread and uneasiness when it comes to school and violence. They worry about bullies and they worry about scenes outside and around school where scooter riders frequent and groups of students from various school congregate leading to a volatile mix. Their child just might get caught up in something he or she isn't even a part. "I don't let my child walk out of the school without me."

One father pointed around the area to make a point. "Look over there and over there. Young boys and men just hanging around. Walking up and down doing nothing. Why are they allowed to loiter so near a school. It's always on my mind when I'm dropping off my son. What's going to happen if one of them picks him to harass one day. I know what will happen. I will end dup in jail."

He added that it's a pity that the police have to devote so much time around schools to make it look like a warzone. "Parenting has gone off of a cliff. That's why you see what you see around here."

Turning to finance, money is tight for many families. Several expressed that uniform prices are "out of hand." One parent suggested a central government controlled uniform outlet. Another parent expressed: "We have two salaries in the house, and its still a struggle."

On learning tools, the requests were modest. Keep the internet working at school. Make sure devices are usable. Use fewer online platforms so parents do not juggle five passwords. Do not assign work that assumes every home has a printer. Communication is key, most parents stressed. Once they know, they will do their best to abide and assist.

The recent debate about hair and identity did not dominate conversations, but it was there, with a vast majority of parents summing it up in few words "hair is hair, it has nothing to do with education" or similar sentiments. According to another parent: "there are other ridiculous school rules that need talking about also." Families asked for rules that are neutral, clear, and respectful. They want teachers focused and who "actually teach." They want parents and teachers to handle disagreements in a way that teaches students how to do the same.

Here is the short list parents repeated today:

• Calm classrooms and steady teachers

• Clear communication from the school and teachers to parents

• Safety in and around the schools

• Fair discipline that treats students equally

• Schedules that do not change at the last minute

• Affordable access to books, uniforms, devices, and activities

• More activities through sports and arts

By 8am the rush (for the parents driving to school) eased and the first classes and assembly began. Parents went to work hoping the plans on paper turn into steady practice in the classroom. In a nutshell, it was the same concerns, opinions and hopes of parents on an annual basis. No one asked for miracles. They asked for schools that show up for children the way families do, consistently, day after day.