Parent involvement in the classroom benefits all students. But when Wendy Cross, a parent in Grand Rapids, Michigan, tried to volunteer in her children's classrooms, she was automatically barred because she wrote several bad checks in 2001.

Grand Rapids has a blanket ban on all parent volunteers who have a felony conviction, with no exceptions. This means that qualified parent volunteers who have made mistakes that resulted in a conviction - no matter how long ago, or what type of crime - cannot help out in their children's classrooms.

Grand Rapids is ignoring the opportunity to teach its students about second chances. It is also dismissing a group of qualified parent volunteers. Leading education reformers say that parent involvement is a vital part of a child's education. Help convince the Grand Rapids School Board to allow qualified parents like Cross to volunteer.

Photo credit: woodley wonderworks