Teachers Union presents Ridgemont Elementary check for school uniforms
The Fort Bend Employee Federation presented Ridgemont Elementary School with a $5,000 Adopt-a-School grant from the national AFL-CIO to purchase uniforms for the school’s 694 students.
The Adopt-a-School grant, which was one of 21 awarded to public schools nationwide on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, is to help students understand the civil rights and workers’ rights struggles of the past. And not coincidentally, the presentation at Ridgemont Elementary took place a day after Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
In keeping with the purpose of the award, students will discuss the meaning of equality and how understanding the past can help them be part of a society where there is no discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
“We chose to use the grant to help families defray the cost of uniforms. Uniforms allow kids to focus on their classes, not on distractions like certain types of clothing,” said Karrie Washenfelder, president of the Fort Bend Employee Federation. “A great education is the pathway to opportunity and an economic necessity. We want to do whatever possible to give every child a leg up for a successful life.”
Parents of Ridgemont Elementary students attended the event, saying they were grateful for the uniform purchases. Also at the announcement were Robert Long, Ridgemont Elementary principal; Assistant Superintendent Xochitl Rodriguez; Texas AFT President Linda Bridges; and local AFL-CIO official Jeff Labroski.
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