VIDALIA, La. &045; Educators at three Ferriday schools marked &uot;academically unacceptable&uot; can’t help the children by themselves.

That’s the message Academic Affairs Director Fred Butcher conveyed to the school board Tuesday night after questions of district failure.

&uot;We have to have some parental support too,&uot; Butcher said. &uot;Someone at home, someone saying do your homework.&uot;

Ferriday Lower Elementary and Ferriday Upper Elementary missed the state benchmark by only tenths of a point. Ferriday Junior High was within 10 points from the desired 60-point school performance score.

Now the district will have to offer parents the choice of switching to another parish school. No one has to transfer and no schools will close.

The state raised the bar this year by 15 points. All three Ferriday schools improved their performance from last year.

Butcher said as an educator he was never happy with a school’s academic performance but said he has confidence in Ferriday administrators and teachers.

&uot;They only way they can work any harder is to stay there all night,&uot; he told the board. &uot;When you look at the whole picture, attendance is a factor.&uot;

The school performance formula is determined by attendance records and test scores.

The district has mailed out letters to parents explaining school choice. More than 200 of the letters were returned because of a wrong address.

Parents have until Aug. 17 to make their decision. The district will hold a 6 p.m. meeting Monday at FUES to talk with parents.

Title I Director Julius Huhn said he’s received about four letters requesting change so far. District officials have encouraged parents to leave their children in the schools and support their improvement.

&uot;We are going to have to look at some drastic things this year,&uot; Superintendent Kerry Laster said. &uot;But I feel confident we are going to do it. These three principals, we sat together, and cried together and planned some things.&uot;