The Selma City School Board is attempting to gain the public trust during the corrective action plan process by suggesting that the community be allowed to be a part of the process.

During a Called Work Session Wednesday at the Selma High School auditorium, President Henry Hicks of the Selma City School board proposed that the local school board pick five people from the community to work alongside them and give input on the corrective plan that was submitted to the State Department of Education Oct. 21. The board members, who refer to themselves as the AD Hoc Committee during the process, were originally going to only add their suggestions for the plan before it has to was finalized and resubmitted to the board.

“Each board member out of their district and allows me to pick on person and have those people a part of this committee to work on this plan,” Hicks said. “We want to involve the parents, the community, stakeholders and everybody. In order to do that, we have to be able to allow these people to talk to us.”

Hicks said his suggestion is an attempt to gain the trust of residents.

He also said the board members who were not in attendance will have to agree to the decision to allow direct input from the community before it can be certain.

“What we are talking about is this community getting the trust back in us,” he said. “Because I agree, I wouldn’t trust us either. We don’t deserve that trust, because we have not stood up and did what we needed for these people and these children.”

Cynthia Harris, a Selma resident with a child attending one of the Selma City Schools, said the community needs to be more involved with the process.

“I think that the people are being shut out of this process,” Harris said. “The parents should be a part of any action plan that they implement.”

Stephanie Coles, a parent of two children in the Selma City School System said Wednesday’s presentation dicsussing the correction plan lacked clarity.

“It was a response, but all the issues weren’t thoroughly addressed,” Coles said. “They just skated over the some of the issues.”

Harris said that the community should take advantage of the opportunity to give their opinions on the issue.

“I think that is an excellent idea, but we need to get the support. They need to come out, “Harris said. “They have to have a line of communication with us, and we have to have a line of communication with them.”

The committee will take the next month to review the plan and voice any suggestions they feel are appropriate in a scheduled worked session slated to take place on Dec. 3.