Easton Area Layoffs Still Bother Parents

Last week, Susan Eagle's grandson took a tour of the . He walked the halls, saw his locker, found his new homeroom.

There didn't seem to be many teachers around, Eagle noted. And when her grandson begins sixth grade Monday, he'll have the same teacher for English, reading and math.

In the past, the same teacher wouldn't have taught all those subjects, Eagle said.

But that was before the , many of them at the middle school.

"That is a concern to me, that our children are not going to get the education that they need," she said.

She's part of a larger group expressing those concerns. At last week's school board meeting, Tara Gilligan of the PTA said many members of the group were upset with how the layoffs were handled, and concerned about the coming year.

Parent Suzanne Zito has a sixth-grade daughter with learning disabilities.

"I am concerned that she might not get the attention and support that she needs to be a successful student," she wrote on the Easton Patch Facebook page. "My husband and I are going to stay on top of things, keeping in contact with her teachers to see where she might need extra help at home. How are the teachers supposed to make sure each child in their classroom receives the educations they are entitled to?"

We put out a call to , but we still want to know what their concerns are about the new year. Tell us in the comments, or e-mail tom.coombe@patch.com.