For Asbury Park dads, time to take a walk

ASBURY PARK Johnny Smith is known as the "super dad" at Barack Obama Elementary School.

He regularly shows up to speak with teachers and administrators about his 10-year-old son, helps with homework and walks him to school each day to make sure he's safe.

It may sound like basic parenting, but school officials here are calling on more fathers and male figures to be like Smith.

On Thursday, the Asbury Park School District celebrated the first day of school inviting dads, grandfathers, uncles and male mentors to walk children to school. The initiative mirrored similar efforts in school districts across the country that rally for men to take active roles in their children's education.

The Million Father March — spearheaded by the Chicago-based Black Star Project — has grown to 550 cities. As part of the observance, fathers walk their children to school on the first day and make a yearlong commitment to the child's educational success. The thinking, of course, is that such attention will last well beyond the year.

"When they see that the father, the head of the household, the head of the family unit is involved, then guess what? They want to please their fathers," Asbury Park Superintendent Lamont Repollet said. "We are challenging men to stand up and be the educational leaders of the community."

About 20 dads attended the first day of school opening ceremony in the Barack Obama parking lot. Most had sons or daughters standing at their side in blue and khaki uniforms, colorful backpacks in tow.

“My son looks up to me,” said Roy Johnson, who walked his fifth-grader to school. “He watches everything I do.”

Repollet, who called some fathers to the front of the crowd during the ceremony Thursday, said he plans to seek more male participation in school programs this year.

Research shows that children with active fathers experience fewer behavioral problems and score higher on reading exams, according to the National Fatherhood Initiative. However, one in three children live in a home where the biological father is absent, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.

The Million Father March has had success in both urban and suburban schools, organizers say.

Some districts, such as Asbury Park, have not officially registered with the march but still hold events that celebrate the initiative.

In New Jersey, fathers in Camden, Trenton, East Orange and Irvington, among other towns, have marched.

In Pharr, Texas, thousands of fathers marched together with signs, leading the way for their children on the first day.

Chicago dads stood in a line earlier this week and high-fived students as they walked to school.

Newark is calling on fathers to walk their children to school once a month this school year.

Phillip Jackson, founder of the The Million Father March, said most schools are more “women-centric,” catering more often to mothers when it comes to parental engagement.

The initiative has motivated more men to get involved with the schools because they feel embraced, he said.

“When men are substantially engaged and involved in children’s learning, children have higher test scores, a higher GPA and higher attendance,” Jackson said. “Young boys are less likely to be engaged in drugs and violence. And young women are less likely to become pregnant.”

Asbury Park dads agreed.

For Johnny Smith, walking his son to school is about protection.

“A lot of stuff goes on during the walk to and from school,” Smith said. “It keeps him out of trouble.”

For Sharrad Burns, the morning was about motivating his 8-year-old daughter.

“You take the time in the morning to talk to them and get in their heads,” Burns said. “It just helps you know what’s going on with your child."

Nicquel Terry; nterry@gannettnj.com; 732-643-4023

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