Say Yes program may be coming to Falls

Laurrie goes to school

Niagara Falls School Superintendent Mark Laurrie visited the Entrepreneur School of Though Friday and answered all comers.

That includes dudes usually found standing around at 19th and Ashland as well as some folks who came just to be heard.

Laurrie was invited by School founder Demetreus Nix and faced a room filled former students who too often were on the wrong side of the principal’s desk, including several who ended up incarcerated. He seemed to know and recall every one by name.

Laurrie took away 5 action items:

1. Provide a list to the community of after school resources and programs because there is a gap.
2. Make video conferencing available for parent/teacher conferences.
3. Make district buildings available for community groups. Laurrie explained they are “public” buildings and should be available to the public.
4. Work on a program with Nix to bring community members together with suspended students to mediate disputes and return students to an educational setting
5. Work to bring suspended youths to churches or the Entrepreneur School of Thought with a certified teacher and aid to learn in person because Zoom learning is ineffective.

Laurrie also said he is in the final stages of setting up a “Say Yes” program for Niagara Falls. “Say Yes” is a non-profit in Buffalo that provides tuition-free college to any student who graduates from Buffalo Public Schools.

It also has other elements, like Saturday academy to help push student achievement, Boys of Color, more apprenticeships leading to careers in skilled labor because not. Say Yes caters to everyone, not just the economically disadvantaged.

Here’s a link to the Say Yes Buffalo Website. https://sayyesbuffalo.org/