It has taken me a long time to reach this point of sharing on a public forum the issues within our school, and I hope in doing so it will ultimately lead to changes within the system. Please note that I do have documentation to support my concerns, and the school district has been made aware of this.
Over and over again, I hear people asking what is wrong with public education today. I have found that, at least in our district (Plymouth Canton), it is the same problem we have in general in society: nobody cares. Period.
Imagine this: A second grade girl is groped on the playground by two boys. The principal excuses the behavior by asking the mother of the girl, “Do you think they could have just been tickling her?” A boy is suspended for biting another kid. There are no witnesses, there is no bite mark, but the principal takes the “victim’s” word for it.
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A mom reports that her son had something thrown at him in the bus line, and the kids throwing it said it was dog feces. The principal investigates and calls the mom, stating that “it was an icicle dipped in mud,” so it really was not a big deal and completely downplays it with no punishment. A boy tells three girls he is going to slit their throats and is not punished.
A girl is beaten up on the bus, and it is caught on video, 12 kicks while the attacker yells, “Kill! Kill!”, but the attacker is not punished. A boy tells a girl that he will “stick a pen in every hole in her body” and writes a note stating that she wants to “f—k” him, but the girl is forced to admit her role in this and then must apologize because he claimed she had been teasing him about liking her earlier in the day.
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A first grade boy is abused on the bus, called “g@y”, “f@g”, and “@$$hole”, the parent complains, and the principal moves the victim to the front of the bus and tells the parents of the fifth grade bullies that she had to call because the complaint was made, but not to worry about it because the first grader should not have been sitting that far back on the bus, anyway.
A girl with Celiac disease has boys taunting her by placing offending food on her desk to see if she will eat it as they watch to see what happens. The principal tells her mother of the girl that it is not like it would have killed her or anything, and, you guessed it, no punishment.
A second grade girl is told to suck a fourth grade boy’s penis as he and his gang of friends surround her and taunt her. He also tells her to “get up his @$$hole”, among other things. The principal tells the mother of the girl that the girl started it by saying, “Leave me and my brother alone” and issues no punishment.
There are complete inconsistencies in how the incidents are handle by the principal. If you ask the principal, she will state that due to FERPA, she cannot disclose the nature of the punishment. However, it is quite clear that there is little or no consequence when the students in question are in class, on the bus, and at recess. These offenses require more than a talking to. Some students have even bragged about getting away with their bad behavior and escalate, knowing nothing will happen.
Some even try to go to the principal's office because "they get to play video games or on the iPad." The victims feel unprotected and unsafe, and rightfully so. People today state that kids are weak and need to thicken their skin, however, no child should have to endure flat out abuse from peers, from teachers, or from a principal, the person who is supposed to be the leader.
Speaking of the principal, she is abusive to parents, as well. She has asked parents to go onto Facebook and report to her if and when someone posts about her, and they do. She has called neighbors of a parent whom she believed began a rumor about her to ask them what the parent had told them about her. She lied about pulling kids from class, about what parents and faculty have said about one another, and about speaking to kids when she has not. She has slandered parents and faculty, but her boss excuses it because she “corrects” the “mistake” weeks later. You cannot un-ring the bell; the damage is already done. Parents are unfairly tainted. Students are abused. There are little or no consequences. Sounds unreal, doesn’t it?
Now imagine that this is occurring in ONE elementary school, Gallimore Elementary, under the leadership of one principal through all of these events. This same principal, Kimberly May, has lied numerous times in emails and even in meetings with her boss and a parent, the parent provided documentation of the lies, and still, no repercussions for the principal. The mission of this school is listed on its website as: “The mission of Gallimore Elementary is to provide opportunities for ALL students to achieve their personal best in a safe, positive environment.” While it is a fabulous sentiment, it means nothing without actions to back the words.
A parent survey was offered in April of 2013, and in it, there are scathing comments: “She [the principal] only seems to focus on students of color”; “I feel one race is looked at way more than others”; “The principal is ineffective and inadequate”; “I feel the principal does not foster a welcoming environment for parents. Bullying and bad behavior are not always handled well by the principal”.
“Our child had a problem with bullying that lasted through almost two full school years and grew to a point of physical violence and threats. It took multiple phone calls before we received any response at all. Even after we had a response the bullying was blown off as an elementary spat. It wasn’t until we demanded a face to face meeting, by sitting in the lobby and waiting that there was any progress or help given”; “I believe there are certain races/cultures that seem to get away with poor disruptive behavior without consequences”.
“Anti bullying program is all talk. My child was bullied for 3 YEARS before the bully was removed. Obviously process in place did not work. It was abusive, verbal and physical and unacceptable”; “I had a daughter who was bullied for a whole year, yet the child who was bulling her never was reprimanded.”
There is only one person in the district whom has admittedly viewed these results: the principal’s boss. In a district of this size, it astounds me that only ONE person examines the results. That sure indicates the value (or lack thereof) of the opinion of the parents. The district is notified repeatedly of dissatisfaction of this principal, but no action is taken and in fact, the principal is given awards for her “exemplary” work.
In letters of concern, parents have stated numerous concerns, as well. One parent wrote, “My biggest complaint about the principal has to do with her availability at school. I was a parent of students who walked to school, a classroom volunteer, Motor - Parent, and PTO member during the six years my son (and daughter) attended the elementary school. I was in the building and/or on school grounds daily. Very rarely did I see the principal in the building, and when she was present I saw little interaction with the students. I heard numerous accounts from friends and neighbors of the principal not returning emails and phone calls, along with using (what I consider) inappropriate solutions to problems…My breaking point came at the end of last year (June 2012) when I was told directly by a highly respected teacher that the principal was part of the reason she was retiring earlier than expected. I no longer had a desire to have my child (my older child had graduated to middle school) to be a part of such a mismanaged organization. I truly believe that the happiness of the teachers (and staff) has a direct impact on how successful students are, and that happiness starts at the top. In my opinion, the principal seemed more interested in her career than the success of the elementary school community.”
Another parent wrote, “She is unprofessional and inappropriate when she speaks of parents to staff and teachers...I do not appreciate her attempts to trash my name and reputation with teachers I have known since 2003…We are losing great teachers because of the principal. A highly respected teacher was one of them…The principal actually has people stalking Facebook, looking for comments made about her. She even stalked a meeting some of us parents had at Panera Bread in January. She is on a self-imposed power trip. She is invading people's privacy and asking others to help her do this. That is beyond unprofessional; that is criminal. Free speech and the right to peacefully assemble - she is violating our right to do that. If she continues in this manner, harassment charges, among others, could be filed.”
In order to be an effective leader, you need to have a presence in the school. Ms. May is absent from the elementary school an excessive amount of time. She always has some meeting or conference or classes for her doctorate every Wednesday.
Parents continue to pull their kids from the school, and in the six years the principal has been there, student population has dropped by around 200 students. Staff turnover has been unreal; 34 staff members in 5 years. Still, the upper administration does not recognize this as a problem and offers no support to the parents. Granted, many of the staff were nearing retirement, however, they had not planned to leave quite as early as they did, and they felt forced out by the principal.
Parents plug along, trying to do what is best for their children, and one by one, they fall. They leave when they no longer can take the abuse. I have reached that point. I have had 3 counselors, a pediatrician, other school administrators, and an attorney all tell me to hire legal counsel and file a lawsuit.
Why haven’t I, you may ask? The answer is simple…the school has no money. We are in the red. If I file a lawsuit, the expenses incurred hurt the kids, and I do not feel good about that. You may also wonder why I have not taken other action. I have. I have worked my way through the administrators. Several times. The superintendent refuses to meet privately with me. He requires the entire team, including the principal, to be there, and I know that they will all simply derail me in any discussion. It happens every time. I have attempted to contact the board president. No response. Again, NO ONE CARES!
I have documentation from a counselor stating that the principal is a bully and has harmed my son with her actions. She states, “He attended Gallimore Elementary where the principal was Kimberly May. It is my understanding, that due to her lack of support and follow through, observed child endured continued bullying which got worse during his 4th and 5th grade years. Low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and feelings of frustration continue to be a struggle for observed child as a result. In my professional opinion, if observed child continues to endure this inappropriate behavior and treatment by others, he will have long term struggles impacting his self-esteem and confidence. When a child in this critical developmental stage struggles with this, their social and academic progress tends to decrease, which leads to problems in adulthood and in some cases, appropriate boundaries needed to secure healthy relationships become compromised.”
We are still working to reverse the detrimental impact resulting from her neglectful and abusive ways. I know of two other students with letters similar to this from their counselors stating comparable claims. It disgusts me that this woman is still working in our elementary, that no one takes action. When I attempted to provide my letter to the Superintendent, he showed no interest.
It disgusts me that other parents fear the principal and won’t stand up to her or voice their concerns, yet it does not surprise me after witnessing the response I have received. Why would anyone believe their voices would be heard and that they would be assisted through this? It disgusts me that teachers are not able to go to administration. She has made it clear that they are not to go against her; they are not to form friendships with parents; they are not to discuss school issues with the parents outside of the immediate issues impacting their children, and even then, they are not allowed to offer their opinion, per her demands made in previous staff meetings.
The environment is one of fear and displeasure. Class parties are, for the most part, not allowed because it would take up valuable educational time; we simply cannot afford to lose that 1-2 hours per quarter to actually be a child and enjoy the season by celebrating with friends. However, students are able to watch movies or blow off an entire day with subs over and over again while the teachers are off to trainings and workshops and meetings. I guess I thought that is why we have professional development days, but apparently, I am incorrect.
Do not get me wrong; I have no problem with movies, especially with comparing a movie to a book, as I appreciate the educational value. We were able to earn a movie every Friday in upper elementary, and I still remember those movies and that time in the classroom with my classmates. It was great! I also recognize the value in social activities and the importance of having some fun as a child, too, and parties do not harm a child’s educational advancement. If that is the case, the staff should be reevaluated because they are clearly ineffective if a party or fun activity will destroy any academic progress.
If a teacher chooses to have a second recess (it is optional) and it is an indoor day, the kids MUST play math games. No socializing or reading or playing anything else, only math games. The intent is to increase the math scores. What about being a kid?
I ask you to reflect on what you remember about elementary. I do not remember tests and homework; I recall specific activities such as a creative writing group in which I participated, the playground activities, field day (complete with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons because we were not afraid to have winners back then), field trips, and camp.
As I sat in the fifth grade recognition ceremony this year, it made me sad as I listened to the essays written by the seniors receiving scholarships. They were former students of our school, and they each reflected on their best memories of elementary. Not one wrote about taking a MEAP test or studying for a math exam. Instead, they spoke of activities such as Accelerated Reading, Family Reading Night once a week, and Science Alive, an in-school field trip with animals the kids hold and touch and study.
As I began to think about how sad it is that those are no longer in the school (due to the principal’s mandate), I began to recall the other activities she has eliminated. We no longer have a Halloween parade through the adjacent neighborhood a tradition for over 50 years), where the older residents would sit on their porches and watch, clapping for the kids as the little characters marched together, beaming with pride. We do not have a charity walk to the neighboring school; we would “exchange” schools for the day, walking to the other while raising money for a charity in the process. She has sucked the life out of the building. We all simply exist and hope to get through the day, the week, the year. It is pathetic.
As stated in the beginning of this, our school system has a good reputation around the state. I will acknowledge that our high school system, albeit large, is phenomenal due to the numerous opportunities offered. The staff is excellent. The middle school my children attend is outstanding. As an outsider looking in, I am sure we are very impressive. The schools are why we chose to move here 14 years ago. When we began our elementary journey, it was fabulous. Four years later, we had a change in leadership.
It is shameful, though, that a principal is allowed to act in this manner and the district does not address or correct it. In fact, they cover it up. I went to a local reporter in February. He was interested and filed a FOIA. After that, it all died down. He has not talked to any of the several people I provided as contacts, and he is not corresponding with me. I cannot help but wonder if he was warned to not cover this story. That may be the case, but I am not backing down. I do not fear the powers that be.
I am not naïve; I do not expect to see any change, but I wanted to share this story because I simply cannot give up and turn away from this atrocity. I would love to see resolution. If there is none, though, at least I did all I could. I want to get this story out there, to let others know that they have someone on their side if they are having problems, as well. This cannot be tolerated in a school. Alone, I have gotten nowhere, but together, perhaps we could come together and stand strong to make the future better for our children.
