Texas Border Business
Pharr, Texas – More than 520 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD parents took an oath to be more involved in their children’s education during a Parent Volunteer Swearing-In Ceremony held at the Pharr Events Center on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.
As part of the annual event, Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace Judge Bobby Contreras conducted the oath and swearing in for all PSJA parent volunteers who serve at the schools and at the Parent Community/Education Centers through the PSJA Parental Engagement Department.
According to the program’s Director Olivia Benford, the event helps validate and acknowledge the tremendous work and dedication PSJA ISD parents make throughout the year.
“We have close to 800 parent volunteers at PSJA ISD,” said Benford. “Events like these are so important for our district because they empower parents and help them see that volunteering at the schools is very important.”
In addition to volunteering more than 25 hours a week on average, PSJA ISD parents can also continue their education through numerous free classes offered by the PSJA ISD Parental Engagement Program. Free classes include ESL, GED, Citizenship, Computer Technology, Entrepreneurship, Welding and Auto Mechanics, to name a few.
For Carolina Montoya, one of the hundreds of parents who attended the special ceremony, she was grateful for the opportunity to take the oath in front of her peers.
“To me, this oath means committing to being more dedicated in my son’s education and being a part of his experience at school,” said Montoya who volunteers more than 25 hours a week at Santos Livas Elementary. “It’s important for parents to be involved as much as they can.”
