When Kim Griffin, a parent of five children enrolled in District 304’s Acceleration and Enrichment program, wasn’t satisfied with the amount of communication A&E parents were receiving, she started a group.

Griffin co-founded the group, which is still in the beginning stages, with another concerned parent in District 304.

“The primary function is communication,” Griffin said. “Getting information out to parents. The second is advocacy for the kids, whether it’s going to the school board or even the state legislators. The third would be support. A (group) for parents to get together, socialize, ask questions and get to know each other.”

Q  What do you hope to bring with this group?
A  We have a new (A&E) coordinator this year, Dr. Ann Ramsey. She is going in front of the school board in August to (present) new programs. We want to help her and get the school board to approve any new programs that she has in mind. Our goal is to make sure these students are receiving the type of education that they need.

Q How will this club differ from the Parent Teacher Organization?
A I think this is something that is just a little bit more specialized; a booster club for this type of kids. There’s a booster club for sports and drama. We want to encourage people whose kids are in this program to be aware and support it. And it’s a little different than the Geneva Academic Foundation, as they take a very broad view.

Q What kind of response has there been so far?
A So far I’ve had a huge response. There were 28 people at the initial meeting, and the only information was through e-mail. I probably had another two dozen people who weren’t able to attend ask for information and want to be a part of the group. I think we were very pleasantly surprised. The people that were there were all very supportive. (Things won’t really kick off) until summer. There will be the first presentation to the group. We’ll probably have Dr. Ramsey come and address the state of the A&E program today.

Q What can those who want to be involved do?
A Initially, over the summer we’re really looking for specialized help, such as trying to get the Web site up and running. After that we just want people to attend the meetings. (They can) e-mail me at Kgriffin1164@gmail.com.