TIFTON — The Tifton-Tift County Board of Education took teachers, faculty and community leaders on a tour through poverty-stricken areas around Tifton last week.

According to director of communications Stacey Beckham, the school district has been doing these tours for a couple of years.

“It’s a positive thing,” she said.

“The Community Poverty Tours are a way we can expose our staff members and local community leaders to what is happening in Tift County. We include local law enforcement officials to learn about crime they see each day as well as signs to watch for so we can prevent our students from becoming involved. We also have cases from our social workers we discuss that show real-life situations our students have faced.”

Beckham said that teachers see students struggling for various reasons, and that this tour was conceived as a way to bring awareness to the systemic situation.

According to a statement from the Board of Education, “the effect of poverty is the single biggest challenge we face in our schools. We have students who come to school who have never seen a crayon before, students who have not eaten since they were at school the day before, students who drop out of school because they have to work and multitudes of other challenges may people may not experience. We know education is the key to improving their lives and our community.

The route stayed within neighborhoods surrounding several schools such as G.O. Bailey and Matt Wilson.

Lieutenant Steve Hyman from the Tifton Police Department was on the school bus and worked with Beckham to point out the effects living in poverty has and how that affects children.

Some of the effects they described are a direct result of poverty, such as not having basic amenities, such as heat and running water, rental houses that are allowed to deteriorate by the owners and a lack of affordable housing in Tifton limiting options for many families, putting them in neighborhoods that have gang and drug activity.

They also talked about students working nights, sometimes until the wee hours, to help pay bills.

Each participant on the bus read an actual story told by a local student to a school counselor about the things they have to deal with and how that effects their ability to succeed in school.

The stories were from all age groups, kindergarteners through seniors in high school.

One story was about how a high schooler dropped out of school to get a job to help pay bills. Another story told about how the middle schooler’s parents couldn’t afford the fee for trash pickup and water and sewer services and the hardships that caused.

The most heartbreaking story was of a kindergartener who was stealing another child’s lunch because if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have anything to eat at home at night.

Beckham explained that these issues are why it is important for school programs, such as the Community Eligibility Provision program, which ensures each student receives a nutritional breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to the parents, continues.

“Kids who are fed better do better,” she said.

Hyman and Beckham also mentioned several other programs, such as the backpack buddies, which ensures kids have food to get them through the weekend, and the clothes closet, which helps kids obtain clothing that fits and is seasonally appropriate.

Beckham said, “we have resources in place at school to make sure students have school supplies and other items they need as well as providing meals at no cost to families. We felt understanding what our students face when they are not at school will help us to better reach them and help them to succeed in the classroom.”

“While on the tours, we talk about ways to help. We discuss programs like Backpack Buddies/Blessings, community clean-ups and homeless shelters (current and future) and discuss ways to get involved in the community and act. We show where things are improving like homes our students have helped to build through Habitat for Humanity and area park clean-ups. Our system has been working with the city and county for the past year to address condemned buildings that surround our schools because we want to make sure our children have safe walks to and from school each day. People are acting, but more people have to know and understand so they can join.”

There was some backlash against the tour from some members of the community.

A post that the school district put on their Facebook page was taken down because of people using foul language, according to Beckham.

Several posts on Facebook highlight how some on the community feel.

Many felt that a “poverty tour” was degrading and demoralizing to those who live in those neighborhoods and the people on the tour were just there to gawk.

Others felt that raising awareness was a good way to start fixing the problem.

According to the statement, Beckham said, “we have heard some negative reactions to this. We challenge those people to join us and see what the discussion actually includes. We simply want to improve the lives of our students. While many may not like the idea, if this changes one person’s mindset to one that is more compassionate, it is well worth it. One teacher left the bus the last time we did this with tears in her eyes saying, “I just didn’t know.” We are in the education business. If we can teach people so they “know” which can lead them to “act,” then that’s what we are going to do.”

County Commissioner Melissa Hughes, who participated in one of the excursions, said that she felt the purpose of the tour was to create awareness and start a discussion, which it has done.

“I have lived in my community pretty much all of my life. I think the tour was very beneficial who have never or seldom get the opportunity to see what I see.”

She said that having limited resources in one area of Tifton affects the entire community.

“I think we need to improve the quality of life, I think that’s what this tour was for.”

She said that while this effort is led by the school board, “it shouldn’t just be on the school board to try and deal with this.”

“There are more things we should be concerned about,” she said.

“I applaud these people who are bringing us to the table, they are making us aware that there are concerns. Let’s not let it stop here, let’s bring some solutions to the table.

“If the community has answers, come forward with those answers.”