While none of us here in Southeast Queens had the problem of having to decide whether or not our children’s schools would be taken over by a private company last week, we should still take note of what happened.

Based on the system set up by the Board of Education, all parents had to do to say no to school privatization was simply cast a ballot against the plan that would have given Edison Schools an opportunity to turn a handful of low performing schools around.

In all but one of the schools involved, less than 50 percent of parents took part in the process.

Even in a "real" vote scenario, the measure would have been defeated since out of those who chose to vote, a majority were against the plan.

The fact that nearly half of these parents chose apathy over action — and ran the risk of having their wishes outvoted — bothers me.

It more or less speaks to one of the problems of those schools in the first place — a lack of parental involvement.

Even those parents who yelled and screamed against having a for-profit company make an attempt to improve the education of their kids have to admit, they had trouble rallying troops to come out on those chilly days to show support for their cause.

Here in Southeast Queens parents camped out for days to get a shot at having their kids attend a top flight elementary school. Yes, it is an annual ritual and yes it shows that some parents are willing to do whatever it takes to get the best for their kids. However, the real test for the majority has yet to come.

How do you think we would fare?

I have to say that if any of my kids were in schools that are fairing as bad as the five in question during the Edison debate, I would either move or give the private company a shot at turning things around.

It now appears too late for them.

The changes that will now have to be put in place to improve education at these schools will not be implemented in enough time to have any effect on the children whose parents either voted against the plan or decided not to show up.

They all are stuck with the same problem now — an under-performing system that will turn out disadvantaged kids more than likely to another strained high school that is equally under-prepared to deal with the remedial teaching that will be necessary to graduate a student prepared to compete for a job let alone in college.

Some of our local schools may not be on the verge of needing a massive overhaul, but how do you know that for sure? When was the last time you visited those buildings on behalf of your kid? Do you know who their teachers are? Which ones do your kids like or dislike? Do you know the name of the principals? How about even the street address if you had to write someone a letter?

If your answer is I don’t know to any of these questions then you might be in the same category as those who did nothing about the future of their kids in the Edison controversy.

Many of the people who are "that" kind of parent see school as a warehouse or a baby-sitting service — a place for their kids to be while they are at work or whatever.

There is concern if there is a major problem like expulsion or being held over, but the more subtle deviations from a successful educational path are ignored. That kind of parent then wants to blame someone else because "Jamal" can’t read, write or do arithmetic at the level of his peers.

The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child," it is not an abdication of our responsibilities.

It does not mean that we shouldn’t have more than just a hand in what is going on with them and let most of the load fall on the schools, the TV, and video games.

Like thunder in the distance, let the Edison mess be a lesson to us.

Know that the same storm could be on us with the ever so slight shift of the wind.