(KNSI) – A special guest visited Lincoln Elementary School in St. Cloud. Former Minnesota Viking and State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page stopped by the school to read to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Tuesday afternoon. Page says he reads to kids to help inspire them.
“Those youngsters are the future. They’re going to be the Allen pages of tomorrow and what they’re doing in the classroom today really matters. And that if they prepare themselves well and seek excellence they can really achieve whatever their hopes and dreams may be.”
Page and his daughter Kamie Page wrote ‘Alan and his Perfectly Pointy Impossibly Perpendicular Pinky’ together.
The former Viking has been going around Minnesota while reading stories to kids and encouraging kids to get an education. Page says he enjoys talking with students.
“I get as much out of this as they do. This isn’t about me and talking at them, it’s important to have a conversation with them.”
Photo taken by Jake Judd (KNSI News)
After reading to students, Page went to the Promise Neighborhood in St. Cloud to talk about closing the achievement gap for students. Page has been traveling around Minnesota talking about race in education and the Page Amendment.
“We propose that we amend Minnesota’s Constitution. Its education clause, which focuses on the education system. It doesn’t say anything about children and we propose to amend the constitution to shift the focus to include children. And make education a civil right.”
Page says kids are entitled to an adequate education system, but the constitution doesn’t say anything about how children perform in that system.
Page was joined by Minnesota Humanities Center CEO Kevin Lindsey and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari. Kashkari says he hopes this tour will bring attention to the needs of students.
“We are traveling the state to highlight the state’s terrible education disparities and the fact that all children in Minnesota deserve a quality public education but not all students are getting it. And we have proposed amending Minnesota State Constitution to create a civil right for every Minnesota child to get a quality public education. We think that that can lead to transformational change to elevate all of the students in Minnesota.”
He says the amendment would guarantee a quality public education for all students. St. Cloud Area School District Director of Equity Services Ayan Omar says they’re willing to try almost anything to help educate their students.
“As a district we’re dedicated to inspiring empowering and engaging strong partnership as well as any way to benefit all our children.”
According to the group, 70% of children of color will not be prepared when they leave school.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!