Two traditional public school districts in western Massachusetts are alerting parents about an effort by a charter school to get student names for recruitment.
The Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley has requested the names and addresses of students in six districts so that a marketing company can reach out to them.
At least two districts — Northampton and Amherst-Pelham Regional — are contacting parents, letting them know they can opt out.
Gina-Louise Sciarra is a Northampton city councilor and public school parent. She said Northampton has paid out more than $27 million to charter schools since they've been in existence, and "there's just no way I'm going to let my children's information go to just keep widening this gap."
The head of the the Chinese immersion charter school said state law requires districts to provide student information to charter schools if it's requested. He said mailings are commonly used by charters to ensure the equitable recruitment of students.
