To the editor:

The Journal-World published an article (11/8) containing specific statistics meant to draw the community’s attention to the widening achievement gap between Lawrence High and Free State. The article, while shining a light on Lawrence High’s lower graduation rates and higher numbers of students receiving free or reduced lunches, does not tell the whole story. I am a student at LHS, and serve as Junior Class President. It is very apparent, to both LHS and FSHS students, that disparities exist between the two schools. The article, while making an important point, offers no true solution to fix these issues, the biggest question being how to help students from lower socioeconomic classes achieve in their academic ventures. Instead of reiterating what we already know, students, teachers, and parents want to have discussions about how to strengthen the already strong aspects of both schools, and want to see actual steps taken to lessen the academic achievement gap between the two schools.

In response to the article, LHS’s students, teachers, and alumni are voicing how Lawrence High has benefitted them in the classroom, but also in their real world experiences. Shannon Draper, an English teacher at LHS, took to Twitter, creating the hashtag #LHSStrong. While LHS is “statistically academically inferior” to FSHS, statistics do not solely define the experiences had by students in school. One LHS alum tweeted “140 characters isn’t enough to articulate an LHS education, nor are one dimensional socioeconomic statistics.” Many of the responses voiced a similar opinion. While the statistics try to prove that LHS students trail FSHS academically, in no way does this reflect the care and support provided by the LHS community for its students.