We are going through a New Principal AND the threat of our school closing. Our school has NEVER been big - but our new dictator doesn't want even a SIGN UP sheet at the meeting to help boost parents awareness. Whats the point sometimes all we want to do is help our children in the last year of the school and now we are being told her way or she closes the PTO and takes the MONEY!!
I understand your frustration, especially the fear of retaliation on your child. If this is a public school, you do have recourse which can be taken. Is there an "overall" feeling of disatifaction with this principals action. If only a small group of you feel this way, this can be a tough battle.
You need to immediately start documenting incidenses where this Principal has gone over the top. The more parents documenting this, the better. Once you have a list which spans a few weeks/months (make sure you document dates, times and names). In a certified letter sent to the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel (basically the district administrator that oversees the actions of the principals), state your concern, your list and fear of retaliation. In the letter state that you and all other families who participlated in this letter are now on high alert and speaking thoroughly to their child, and other parents to make sure that (now that this letter has been sent) that their child "treated equally to all other children, and in no way is feeling singled out or discriminated against" at this school. This being a list with dates, times and names as well as being certified will raise a red flag to the Superintendent that "hey, I have a very serious group of upset parents who look like they are getting ready to take some kind of legal action".
If you really do have some support, this should get the ball rolling. Good luck. I look foward to your response.
You didn't mention if your Principal is new to your school or if you as PTA/PTO are the new ones. Let me share this... a PTA most important role is to bring together the community of adminstrator, teacher, student, parent and community. This can not be accomplished if there is not a healthy relationship with the Principal. I would definitely recommend that you meet with the Principal and discuss some concerns you've come across and make recommendations of areas where changes might be made. Sometimes a new principal has to come in and clean up house. There may be some problems that you aren't privy to that are causing him/her to lay down the law! It is never easy when parents are complaining and undermining the authority. As a PTA president I know how hard I work to attain our goals and those people who are constantly complaining do only that, let's not judge what others are doing until we fully understand. Speak to your principal, stand up for the parents that you serve. As a PTA/PTO you are called to speak on behalf of the parents!
Orginally posted by <kmoser>: Situation: Principal has a hush rule; kids have to whisper during lunch in the lunch room. Kids can't stand within 1 foot of the walls in the hallway. Restricted bathroom access during lunch and recess. Dress code included "Blue"; but principal sends kids home for having navy blue instead of sky blue.
Don't know if I'm angry or sad. Elementary school should be a positive experience: one where kids learn to love learning. Instead, it looks more like a prison camp.
Parents are upset; but won't complain for fear of retaliation against their kids.
Anyone else have experience with this sort of situation? Any advice on how to stop this emotional abuse?
When I walk into my son's school, I am surprised at how different things are. My biggest being lunch. It isn't cooked at the schools anymore but rather shipped in. The choices are anything but nutritious, (they meet the guidelines but pizza as a choice- over half the month) and when I was a kid, you got what was served and a teacher made sure you ate it.
I am in the mindset that our children do not have enough rules at school anymore. Mykidsmom has come too close to the repercussions of this and face it, our children don't have near as much respect for their teachers as they once had.
As for uniforms, I like it. We don't have it at our school but rather just a dress code but we recently had students picketing the high school because a girl was suspended for constantly wearing a spaghetti strap tank (in the dress code as a no-no) and the parents backing it up and threatening to sue because the punishment was too harsh (but the rules were in writing and she didn't follow them)
We too have restricted bathroom access to the point that the child needs to get a pass from the duty teacher. If not, the students play in the bathrooms and make a mess. We had a quiet rule when I was a kid during lunch and we just ate and then went out. We weren't in the lunchroom to play. That wasn't what it was for. It goes back to respect and as more children lack it, the more we need to go back to rules.
No offense, but do you want your kids to grow up and tell their bosses, they can wear an eyebrow ring to work if they want to? School not only teaches our children knowledge but skills that they will need to survive in this world and this world has rules.
Hi,
I know where you are coming from and sadly things have not improved here. The board of ed. could care less what we say they only beleive the principal. Our principal started a zero tolerance for school work. If the kids do all of their homework minus one problem it is considered incomplete and not excepted and the student is also along with a zero grade is given a detention a 1/2 hr. before school the following day.
We had some really hot weather at the start of school last year. Infact some of the other local schools closed. My daughter was sitting on the floor in music and layed down due to it being so hot. Rather than checking to see if she was truly ok. They gave her a detention for laying down. She was a 1st grader.
We still have the same principal and still having problems. :confused:
We have a dress code as dictated by Venezuelan law and I love it. I can be at school and identify students by their level: Preschool in Red, Elementary in White, Middle School in Light Blue and High School in Tan. The kids look much neater than schools I've been at with no dress code.
As to the other rules, with large class sizes/school sizes in the States, rules are necessary for discipline and control. Do you want 30 kids banging on the wall as the pass? I know my kids would do that AND leave dirty hand prints. Have you ever taught a class with students leaving every 5 minutes for the potty? You can't. It's disruptive. Unless there's something way more drastic than you have stated, I don't think your principals "title" quite fits. And by the way, it is offensive!
