Parents with students at Franklin High and J.P. King Middle schools, it’s time to step up to the plate.

Franklin City Public Schools recently received two federal grants totaling more than $1 million for implementing after-school programs. The school has asked parents to fill out a survey to find out what programs they would like for their children.

As of last week, a disappointing four parents at the high school and two at the middle school had responded.

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Belle stressed it’s so very important for parents to respond.

We would think that anyone who has a student at the high school or middle school would love to take advantage of after-school programs, which could include tutoring, athletics, computer time and more. We’re assuming the grants would cover the related costs, so it would be free to parents.

We would also assume that many of Franklin’s middle and high school students’ parents are working when their kids return home from school. Even though they are pre-teens and teenagers, it still has to be nice to know that your children are involved in some kind of structured activity.

So take the time to respond. If you do not have a survey, call the high school at 562-5187 or the middle school at 562-4631.

Incidentally, students had no problem responding — 296 high school and 208 middle school students completed the survey, which asked them to look through a list of possible after-school activities and select their top three favorites.

At the high school, 49 said basketball was their top choice. Cosmetology ranked second with 30 votes, video gaming was third with 17, followed by art with 15. Auto mechanics, photography and volleyball all tied for fifth-place with 12 votes.

At the middle school, 32 students made video gaming their top selection for an after-school activity. Cooking earned second place with 27 votes, followed by basketball with 19 votes, percussion with 12, and art and cosmetology with 11 each.