Along with several other current DECA members and some Alumni members, we have been working to get the School Board and Administration to reconsider a decision not to allow parents to transport their student to the State NC DECA Career Development. We have just received (information) that some board members are asking to reconsider.

I previously posted this to Facebook and sent it in an email to board members along with statements made by Veronica Edmonds and Carson Arthur:

DECA is one of the biggest, if not the biggest club on RRHS's campus.

As our chapter's president, I am very disappointed by the current situation only because I know how much work has been put into this trip.

Many of us, including myself have not only saved up months worth of paychecks, budgeted time to study for DECA tests and read up on old notes we saved up from past marketing classes.

We have poured hours into 30-page papers and the campaigns that they were written about.

We have looked forward to this trip since our District competition, where so many of us won medals and trophies.

I dare to even imagine the total numbers of hours that our amazingly dedicated advisors have put in to planning, coordinating, and making this trip a reality.

They have spent countless hours trying to get all of us tested and prepared, coming in on Saturdays, every work day, and getting to school over an hour early while leaving extra late for weeks just to make this trip happen for us.

We have been trying to work around all sorts of obstacles for weeks now: planning how to get soccer players back early, how to get other athletes there later, how to get almost a 100 kids tested in three days due to a chunk of snow days.

Now we all feel like it was pretty worthless. We want to compete and show off how awesome RRHS DECA students are but we want to do it with the support of our school system.

We are so blessed to have a school district that supports us to the degree that we have always received from them.

There was no way I could have gotten to the International competition last year without them, now I'm just asking that the rest of our chapter have the decision of whether or not their parents can take them.

NC DECA says that we can travel and compete if we bring a parent and an advisor, and we already have an advisor there.

However, we have been told by RRGSD that we are not allowed to travel on our own.

I personally don't understand how that decision can be made for us and our parents.

DECA has taught me a lot over the years, much more than I have ever learned in any classroom and this competition is not something I have any desire to miss out on.

Last year at this conference I placed 3rd with my group which sent me to the International Career Development Conference.

That was one of the best experiences of my high school career and it truly breaks my heart to know just how many students are missing out on this awesome opportunity because of a decision that was unfairly made for them.

We appreciate everything our school board does for us, we know you are just looking out for our safety. We are trying to be as professional as possible in our reaction to this decision, because that is what DECA has taught us.

Please just reconsider the decision that was made earlier and allow our attendance if we provide our own transportation.

Rachel Price

Roanoke Rapids High School DECA president