Pittsburgh Public Schools dads, grandfathers participate in ‘Take a Child to School’ Day

PITTSBURGH — Outside of Morrow Elementary School in Brighton Heights, student drop-offs are often a family affair. But on this particular Thursday…

“We just wanted to celebrate and encourage our fathers to be in place,” said Dr. Wayne Walters, superintendent for Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The sweetest send-offs could be seen from fathers, grandfathers, and other male role models as they brought their kids to school as part of a national initiative.

“We’re very excited. We welcome parents into the building all the time. We want them to be here. We want parents to feel safe,” said Carlton Watson, principal. “When we get that education and understanding, we gotta be able to move forward.”

Channel 11 captured a special moment between Aaron Smith and his three kids as they danced their way to school.

“That’s kind of how I want to start our day off every morning, whatever song they want to listen to, I have my speaker in my backpack,” Smith said. “It shows a lot of what the Pittsburgh parents can do and what the Pittsburgh dads can do.”

This is the first year that Pittsburgh Public Schools participated in the event, and officials said they wanted to recognize the pivotal role that male role models play in a child’s educational journey, a sentiment that rings true for Watson, a father of five.

“I understand the importance of being involved as a parent, being involved as an employee. It’s about the children so we can help to educate them to make them great citizens as they graduate from high school,” Watson said.

All of PPS participated in the event.

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