Parents participate in picnic day at Coakley Middle School

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Coakley Middle School in Harlingen hosted a family picnic event Wednesday as part of Texas Public Schools week.

The event took place from 11 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.

Aziel Vazquez, a student at Coakley Middle School said he was excited to eat lunch with his mom because it is not every day that he gets the opportunity to have her there.

Elizabeth Minto-Bauer, principal of Coakley Middle School, said its beautiful to have so many parents come out to spend time with their children.

Minto-Bauer said there were about 70 to 80 parents who showed up.

"It's a great sight to see and to be a part of," she said. "Parental involvement is extremely important and when kids enter secondary ... a lot of times it can shift. Parents can feel like they're more involved in elementary and it kind of takes a decline when they enter secondary. I think that when you host events like this, you show that the partnership is still extremely crucial."

She said for children to be successful it is important to have a community around them that supports them.

"The parents are the foundation of the success of the students and the success of the school," Minto-Bauer said.