April 2026 Newsletter
Sent: Mon, Apr 27, 5:01 PM
Hi PAACT families,
I wanted to take a moment to send a real update on everything that has been happening since I launched the website at the beginning of the month. There is a lot going on in our district right now, and I am aware that many of you are watching things closely. That is exactly why I want to be thoughtful about how PAACT shows up. We want our message to be received well and addressed seriously.
Here's where things stand.
PAACT now has families represented from 11 of the 13 schools in Birmingham Public Schools. That is a pretty big deal. It tells me that how I was feeling resonates, and it gives us a foundation to stand on. Thank you for being part of this. As we gather more information, I will continue to update the site so it becomes a reliable resource for our families. More on that below.
On April 1st, I submitted a formal Freedom of Information Act request to Birmingham Public Schools asking for data that I believe is essential to understanding where our district needs support. They responded on April 16th with the fee amounts associated with the request. On April 22nd, I paid the $130 fee to move the request forward. The district has 15 days to respond.
Here is what I asked for:
-A full picture of behavioral incidents across the district for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, broken down by school and by type of incident. Things like physical altercations, verbal bullying, and ongoing classroom disruption.
-A summary of how the district responded to those incidents, specifically how many in-school and out-of-school suspensions were issued at each school.
-Academic performance data: M-STEP and iReady scores by grade and by school for those same two years.
-A copy of the district's current Disciplinary Matrix which is the internal policy document that is supposed to guide how discipline decisions are made.
Once I have this data in hand, I will update the website to present it in a way that is hopefully clear and easy to understand.
In the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to sit down with a district principal and the teacher’s union president, and I intend to continue meeting with them in the coming weeks and months.
One thing that came out of those conversations that I want to share with you: the district has already started a committee to review the Code of Conduct across all BPS schools to ensure consistency from building to building. I am hopeful that PAACT can be a constructive voice in that conversation.
I have also followed up directly with the union president about gaps I see in the current Code of Conduct. I am attaching the Code of Conduct to this email so you can read it for yourself.
One of my next steps is requesting face to face meetings with Birmingham Education Board Members. I have been thoughtfully advised that building those relationships privately first might lead to better outcomes. I would like to know what the board members are aware of and where they stand on the issues of behavior in our schools.
One of the things that has been the most important to me since launching PAACT is hearing from teachers. I wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped educators would feel supported by what we're trying to bring attention to, but I didn't anticipate this. Teachers from schools across the district have found a way to connect with me to share that they feel seen by this initiative. This was always about them as much as it was about our kids. When teachers feel safe and supported in their classrooms, students learn better. The fact that so many educators are paying attention and rooting for this work gives me a lot of hope for where we go from here.
PAACT Board Members
I do not want to lead this alone, and I do not think I should. PAACT is strongest when it reflects all of us. I am looking for parents from within our group who would like to step into a more formal leadership role as a PAACT Board Member. This is not a huge time commitment, it is simply a way to share the information and make sure more voices are shaping the direction of our big picture goals.
If you are interested, please reach out to me at paact.birmingham@gmail.com. I would love to talk with you about what that could look like.
I know there are a lot of emotions in our community right now. There are real issues in our schools and real frustration among parents. I share that frustration. But I also believe that the next step needs to be the right step. I am grateful for every one of you who has decided to be part of a much needed change in our district and in our children's classrooms.
More updates to come as the FOIA data arrives. If you have any questions or suggestions please never hesitate to send me an email.
Thank you,
Betsy McDaniel
