Dear 2UrbanGirls,
It saddens me to share with you that Parent Elementary School currently has the lowest enrollment in Inglewood Unified School District and could be slated for closure if enrollment numbers don’t increase. Parents believe the declining enrollment is directly linked to the high turnover in staffing.
There have been THREE principals since Mr. Gregory left in 2018. We had a principal that left abruptly after him with no explanation. He was there for three months.
Mrs. Hammond then became the interim while we waited for another one. In 2020, we got Ms. Nayfield and she left at the end of this year.
I recall when state administrator Dr. Don Brann told parents to not take their children out of Parent, because many wanted to leave for Wiseburn School District. You may also recall when residents in Ladera wanted to join the Culver City School District because of the myriad of problems.
Teachers are also leaving too.
Here’s a fun fact about who the school is named for from Wikipedia.
Frank D. Parent was a founder of the Peoples Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1923, shortly after he served on a coroner’s jury that found that an “illegal masked and armed mob, presumably instigated and directed by members of the K.K.K.”, caused the death of an Inglewood policeman during a 1922 raid by 50 to 200 men on a suspected bootlegger and his family.
Don’t think it’s not being noticed that the schools with the highest value in property both have the lowest enrollment in the district. Morningside Park and Ladera where homes were hitting the market in excess of $1 million.
Coincidence?
Concerned Inglewood parent, resident
4 Comments
This has been a school of transfer students for years. The kids aren’t from the neighborhood, have no investment in the community, and act up, act out and act HORRIBLY. If this school goes, it won’t be missed.
Inglewood Schools were NEVER segregated as in whites go here blacks over there.
All students went to the school closest to their home.
The reason for more African Americans in Morningside and east side schools had nothing to do with intentional separation by ethnicity but rather economic shifts of a building boom followed by massive end industrial production needs of ensuring Democracy or simply we didn’t need those back yard bomb shelters anymore.
Older Inglewood homes were built in the 20’s and 30’s often by the homeowner and his family actually hammering and sawing so they cost less and mortgages were easier to pay off. Since many of the pioneer families came as extended families at the same time they purchased lots and built homes close to each other where many younger generation now grandchildren and their cousins remain.
New or west Inglewood homes were built in the late 40’s and 50’s as tract homes for the Civil Defense workers who largely came from the Midwest during the WWII and Cold War (Cuban Missle Crisis) years. The tract homes were comparatively large landscaped and upgraded which meant bigger mortgages.
When the Federal Goverment Defense Contracts ended in the mid 60’s that meant thousands became unemployed and those new mortgages were hard to pay off so many had to sell and seek jobs far away often returning to their families in the Midwest. Keep in mind the Jesse Unruh Civil Rights act had made the news in 1959 and the Federal Civil Rights of 1964 meant many African American were leaving the South and some had been to California during the war so they relocated to the recently vacated Civil Defense workers homes -Naturally that meant the newer homes on the east acres side aka the Morningside Area.
While all the schools of Inglewood had great academic programs some only saw ethnicity and brought some of their past experience of segregation into their feeling about their new community when they noticed the more stable homeowners on west side were not African American. They had not realized each school had significant programs and had been declared among the finest in California.
Unfortunately partly because some only look at the surface and there are some as they say with a hammer think evrything is a nail a lawsuit was filed by nine parents. The decree was made that the schools that were never segregated needed to desegregate.
The schools had been built to be neighborhood schools in order that children could walk to school, busing’s impact meant that those in after school sports had long walks home after practice if mom was unable to pick them up. It also meant that some neighbors went to the close school, some to a far away school, and some in frustration left the district entirely severing those close neighborhood shared experience bonds.Students no longer had the same supporting relationships they leaned on. The other part of the impact often forgotten is the financial cost of busing was not free which meant some programs needed to be cut, as a result all the schools and all the students for 5 years lost out. Parents both black and white were frustrated and many simply took their students to other districts – thus began the decline in enrollment.
From Monarchs of the year just before busing comments at a recent reunion included believing we were greatly privileged to have had such a great diversity of classmates with whom we could establish close relationships and also have the opportunity for a truly great education from teachers who gifted us with inspiring words and encouragement to always continue to improve ourselves
Tragically the attempt to force what we experienced created ill will and lost opportunities for those of the redirecting funds years.
It is tragic that the FCMAT team which is currently the agency making decisions re Inglewood schools is making the paying back of a state loan far more important than educating the students who attend the schools. Perhaps if they focused on teaching students parents would not be taking their students to attend schools out of the district…
But then again this letter is a prime example of how sometimes there is diversion or a redirection of focus.
Certainly the writer could have linked readers to the biography of Frank Parent rather than on the events of one night over 100 years ago. (Perhaps Parent’s life wasn’t what someone wanted us to learn about?)
Okay then let’s think about the event – please make it a practice not to rely solely on wiki interpretations go for original source documents and consider who wrote, when they wrote, and consider the just like today reporters may not be entirely accurate!
What we know for certain is one night over 100 years ago, a group of maybe fifty from at least 5 cities (so maybe 10 from each city) gathered at the home of a Spaniard to threaten the Spaniard and his male relative. Notice the next door neighbor was a Japanese man who called the police. (Did you catch that often overlooked acknowledgement of diversity).
Yes throughout time there have been people who are filled to the brim with hate and use any excuse – in this case bootlegging to act like thugs. Oftentimes these people are not solo bad actors but are emboldened when they are part of a group. Today we have groups we call gangs which are largely made up of males who often carry out crimes against others simply because they belong to a different group – Understand violence by any group mob, gang or even out of control law enforcement is NEVER, NO NOT EVER acceptable behavior!!!!! Let us hope others don’t judge all Southern California residents because our neighbors may be less than really good citizens ! Likewise, let us be cautious that we don’t let ANYONE attempt to make us judge all people who share a visible similarity, a similar cultural heritage, or a similar career/ economic condition, as being guilty of the wrongs done by a few thugs/bullies/or criminals .
The Klan link was quite a diversion from telling us who Frank Parent was.
Perhaps you might consider looking at the website about Frank ! You may find even from that incomplete biography he was well worthy the honor given him. Frank arrived in Inglewood in 1910 just 2 years after Inglewood’s incorporation. As a realtor, he helped subdivide the Lemon Grove tract (Prairie /Arbor Vitae), built the Market Street business block including the 2 story building which is best known as the building just south of the Fox theatre.
Frank was instrumental in encouraging the Los Angeles City council to lease then purchase 640 acres from Andrew Bennet to build the Los Angeles Air Strip. Frank also encouraged Charles Lindbergh and the Graf Zeppelin to appear in the National Air Shows of 1928 and 1933.
As a member of the Inglewood Union High School District Board of Trustees, Frank handed diplomas to each student for 14 years -missing only in 1919, the year he was in France with the National War Work Council of the YMCA .
Frank was a charter member of the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce and served as President in 1925. This one man was so a significant part of Inglewood it is hard to think of a single person today who has given so much of his life to truly help others. Frank was a member of the Rotary (President 1930-1931) He was also among the 1923 organizers of the People’s Federal Savings and Loan and Director until 1960. Frank and his wife Alice purchased the home of Exotic Animal Collector Raab on La Colina. (Raab’s animals were sold to the Selig Zoo and later the Los Angeles County Zoo).
Along with his wife who was a member of the Inglewood Woman’s Club, Frank helped to raise funds to build the First Inglewood Library Collection and later worked to raise the funds needed for Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital.
Yes there was so much more to discover about Frank D Parent than what the writer linked us to.
Perhaps all Inglewood residents would cherish Inglewood more if we actually knew more about our community beginnings. Schools were named for those who helped make our community a desirable place to raise a family where everything a family needed was available from fresh local produce to custom furniture, everyday wear to the new car (there were 7 dealerships in town). Inglewood business owners were our neighbors and our schools among the finest in California.
Just in case you missed the point Inglewood’s residents were Not pleased with the Klan action. In fact, it was not even one generation later (Frank was still alive) that the California Civil Riights Act of 1959 was passed ! Yes five years before the Federal Act 1964!! And what is a bell ringer of Inglewoodians you may be wondering The California Bill is named for Jessie Unruh whose home was right here near Circle Park in District 1!!! (Yes the Unruh children attended Inglewood schools )..
With so many wonderful contributions made by Inglewood residents it is sad so few are aware.
Caution what follows is an old school advertisement without out flashing lights!
For an often overlooked opportunity to learn more about Inglewood’s beginnings, consider a family outing or neighbor group venture to the Historical site in our midst – the Centinela Adobe open every Sunday for tours from 2-4pm. The Rancho Home built in 1834 and lived in by Daniel Freeman at 7634 Midfield lies just west of the Centinela Creek (the 405 freeway) a tad north of Randy’s Donut. Tours are provided by the Historical Society of Centinela Valley who are all volunteers – each of whom donates their time and knowledge preserving the truly remarkable history of people from various places who came together to create a thriving community and serve as inspiration for future generations. The complimentary admission price is an especially nice feature!
There are still a few learning adventures you can visit even on a shoestring budget !!
Learning about yesterday helps us appreciate the gifts our ancestors gave us Consider early Inglewoodians gave the world personal computers, and paramedic training, motorcaches, P 51 Mustangs and so much more….
Why did it take a court order to desegregate Inglewood schools?