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My kids attend Bonita Springs Charter School in Lee County and I'm having a hard time getting anyone with authority in the district to address the huge issues at this school. My son has already had 3 science teachers and 2 health teachers (there are only 6 or 7 teachers total in his grade) in the first three weeks of school and there was at least a 25% turnover at the end of last year. This is only part of a larger problem that exists here. Things have fallen to such a low and there is no oversight of the charter schools in this district. How do I advocate for my children if there is no one to listen?
Being a teacher, I would first suggest going the principal or head of the school. Is there a PTA/PTO? What vocal outlets does the school offer parents? These are the first places your issues need to be addressed.
Are there other parents who are feeling the same frustration? If so, have any of you approached the administration?
Write down a list of the issues that are concerning you. Have evidence to back up EVERYTHING you are implying. Nothing is worse than a parent or teacher who initiates some sort of isse [be it positive or negative] & there is no hard data to back up their statements.
The more tagible & reliable info YOU have, the more seriously you will be taken & the more they cannot shut the door on you.
Never just say things like "My son says this teacher yells at all the students" or "My daugher says this teacher lets them text message their friends". Remember, the more times the story is told, the more it can change. Always take your child seriously, but when really broad statements are made, there needs to be more to the story. Same holds true for a teacher.
Always remember that there are two sides to the story. BOTH of those sides have to be heard & listenened to fairly in order for the proper outcome.
Try to stay as rationale as you can when it comes to emotions [easier said than done lots of times ]
If all else fails, there are newspapers & media. Please keep in mind these outlets will sensationalize your story, so be careful what you tell them, how you tell them & why you tell them. There are both good & bad consequences when going to the media.
Best of luck. I am in strong opposition of charter schools. Not surprised about the turnover. Wonder how many of your child's teachers even had licenses to teach.
This whole area of SW FL has some of the crappiest schools & administrations. You do have some work cut out for you, but don't give up!
Also, read up on charter school rules & regs in the state of FL. Educate yourself as much as possible.
My kids attend Bonita Springs Charter School in Lee County and I'm having a hard time getting anyone with authority in the district to address the huge issues at this school. My son has already had 3 science teachers and 2 health teachers (there are only 6 or 7 teachers total in his grade) in the first three weeks of school and there was at least a 25% turnover at the end of last year. This is only part of a larger problem that exists here. Things have fallen to such a low and there is no oversight of the charter schools in this district. How do I advocate for my children if there is no one to listen?
Well make yourself a squeeky wheel. Contact anyone and everyone until you are heard. I have no problem ever contacting my kid's superintendant, or my local politicians, even the Governor. There are also non-profit law firms that will represent kids for no cost (usually funded by United Way, etc.)
When I was a single mom I got an attorney in MA, took my school to court to get a special placement for my son, I not only won the placement but won $20,000 settlement which I gave to the agency to fight other cases for kids rights. It may take uncovering many rocks, but you will finally turn up the one that has your answer. I will say there are much less services in Florida than Mass, but if you search hard enough you should be rewarded for your efforts.
Thank you for your replies. The outline you provided (121804) is great and very, very helpful. What I mentioned in my post is only part of a huge issue that his been going on since last December. As a result of the problems, three of the PTO board members pulled their children from the school and left. It is so bad that I hate the way the school makes me feel. The problem is that Lee County appointed a charter school oversight committee but last spring the president of that board resigned because she felt that they were not being allowed to handle the issues and that they were little more than an organization set up to approve Charter Schools USA schools in the district.
I've taught in Charter schools in Michigan and they had the same problems. The turnover is high due to unorganized administration and lack of support to teachers. I advise you to pull your kids out and place them into a better environment. You only have one shot at giving your children a good education. If that school has issues, you can't afford to allow your kids to be a part of it. Trust me, I've seen some horrible things happen in charter schools. Get out while you can.
Unfortunately, this poster would have to send her child to Lee County Schools or Collier County Schools, which are no better than the charter school. It is an awful area to have school aged children due to the incredibly poor school systems. This is also retirement haven. Education is not important b/c it does not draw tourism/snowbird/retirement money, so it is put on the back burner.
There is little to no oversight in many charter schools throughout the United States. So much research & time has to be put into where one will put there child into school. It's unfortunate for those who live in SW FL & their children are forced to somehow get an education.
I, too, am having serious difficulties at BSCS for the past 6 weeks. Our son has ADHD and learning disabilities.l First Quarter he got all A's and B's and this quarter he has 4 D's, 1 F from his primary teacher. . This is partially because he can not concentrate and mostly due to the teacher "getting even". In December
The principal and my son's teacher and the ESE teacher called a meeting to tell us that he should be transferred to a smaller, quieter classroom because he has ADHD. We requested to view the other classroom. It was agreed but we never heard from them. Instead 2 weeks later we were called in for another meeting. The principal told us that in"his best interest", he should leave the school!. Reason given..they didn't have the resources to teach him. The ESE county director refused their request and said he should stay where he was and use the resources stated in his ed planie, computer, and tape recorder, shorter lessons, oral tests or extra time. The law states that it is the parents' decision and we were never allowed to make that decision. I insisted he be transferred to the other classroom but the principal refused us. The following school day I received a call from the guidance councelor that his teacher claimed he was talking about bringing a gun to school and guns and killing. My son swore it was not true..swore on a bible., cried and became extremely confused and upset because the guidance counselor and principal did not believe him. Eventually the teacher confessed to my husband that our child never said that.She has gone to this extreme length because she wants her classroom structured and tightly run by her and his exceptional needs interfere with her methods. She is uncaring and crazy to do this to a child. Another meeting..principal was indignate to the fact that the teacher told those incriminting lies about our boy and admitted the fact that he "probably didn't say them and I am confused" (she was absent that week) and responded to us by forcing us to leave the school and giving orders to staff we were not allowed on premised or to speak to staff or teachers. She was covering up for the teacher. Bottom line is there is a shroud of secrecy from the beginning and we cannot find out why all this happened. Our son is an honor student, very well liked and has not had a single referral all year. We have received no explanation as to why we have been treated this way. My son has been slandered and traumatized. He is afraid to go to school every morning because he says "Is the principal going to lie about me again and then put me in jail>" He is only 9 yrs old. He is now seeing a therapist because of this. I have applied to a private school in Collier County for him and he will be in a safer and more caring environment quickly. Each class has 18 kids compared to 26 at BSCS. I suggest you do the same. As soon as he is settled, I am going to legal aid because I have been given the run-around between Charter Schools USA in Ft. Lauderdale and the ESE Department of the Supt. of Lee County Schools. I was told that the State Dept. of Education would simply pass it all back to Lee County School System. In my opinion the Administration and that teacher at BSCS should not be working in an environment with children. The deceit, lies and secrecy we have been subject to has affected the whole family. I have raised 4 children who have attended schools in 3 states and have never encountered such horrific experiences . Please help your child now by getting him in a better enviroment. They are not educating him...they are causing him more problems than he deserves. Good luck.
Wow... I'm stunned but absolutely not surprised. Since my original post, I just turned off and stopped thinking about the school except for the immediate concerns of my child. My seventh-grader just told me he's on his fourth health teacher. I was so angry and frustrated because the Charter School Organization shut me out and decided I was not worth even responding to.
I think you should sue for all its worth. The law requires that public schools abide by certain laws regarding things like ADHD. Not only that, the mere fact that the lies were admitted to, you have to do all you can. I'm planning my kids' exit from the school but like someone said, there aren't exactly a lot of good choices.
I am appalled by what happened to you. I, too, got the run around for years (in Kansas and then at BSCS) regarding my son who has ADHD. We worked so hard to get him tested and finally, when they did, he was found to have an IQ of 151. The psychologist told them they were required to get him help but he only gets part-time because his grades are not so good. He has a hard time with the reading assignments because he has to concentrate on things.
I'm at a loss because, like you said, the district and the board of education and the state won't do anything.
I'm in Lee County (a teacher, as well), and I know I would NEVER work for a Charter School. I've heard horror stories from teachers and parents. Complaints about administrators are very common. I work with about four teachers who escaped a Charter School nearby. I wonder if the teachers who left simply didn't just escape the first chance they got to a position with Lee County Schools.
As for your son and the child of the other poster: take them out of that school! People are moving from this area, so you can probably get your child into a better school in the Lee County District fairly simply (there are some good schools here, believe it or not...yes, a lot of not so good ones, too). Check out the school grades and test scores at Florida Department of Education , then check with school choice.
The new semester just started yesterday; there is plenty of time to salvage the year. Don't make your child suffer any more than he has already. A bad school experience can have a lasting and extremely detrimental effect on kids, even those filled with promise.
There is a lot more accountability in regular Lee County schools. I have quite a few ADD and ADHD kids in my classes; they have IEPs and we follow them. The only rule is that they are not to interfere with the learning of others, but that goes for ALL students.
I can't even imagine the scenarios you mentioned occurring where I work.
As for your gifted child: put him in a school with full-time gifted. Each zone and sub-zone has one. He is NOT part-time Gifted. His IQ is higher than 99.9% of people in this country. Check out the HoagiesGifted website; there is a lot of really good information for parents. Gifted kids have very special and unique issues, and it's not uncommon for them to have lower grades due to other issues. Shoot, the lack of continuity this school year would definitely contribute. When you hit about 150, kids and grown-ups also have some social difficulties as far as relating with others.
Merrymack
Thank you for your encouraging responses. I finally feel as though I have some support. I can't tell you how many nights and days I just sit down and cry. Our son is in the 4th grd. Mrs W. is his teacher. A little background might clarify things. Our daughter is mentally disabled and she was , shall we say "taken advantge of". Because she is unmarried the Stae of MD was to put the baby in foster care but we obtained permanent custody in court.. when he was 3 months. two years later she was diagnosed with cancer and we adopted him. We are now Mom & Daddy and also caretakers for her. He is well aware of the truth.
He has taken an entrance exam for a small private Catholic school in Naples. They claim he is brilliant and thinks out of the box. I know his IQ is 140. I was refused any help at BSCS for a gifted child. the new school we are considering does not have a gifted self contained classroom. Twice/wk the ESE director teaches 3 gifted kids a project that will be a lot more challenging for them and they will have the chance to use their gifted abilities and talk solutions with each other. I am opposed to schools that are strictly for exceptional students. My 3 kids all had dyslexia and I chose to mainstream them with extra help so they would still have the opportunities for the athletic and social activities all others had. It worked out well. I don't know if the new school I am investigating is the right one. If I knew of any "gifted" school I would observe it but I don't know anything about zones or where they are or how to find them. Does anyone out there? I know there are private schools for ADHD students but , in my opinion, that puts a stigma on kids.
We are waiting on an answer for a McKay scholarship and funding from financial id and our church. Our only income is social security and we can not afford $5,800 plus for tuition. When we hear I will file discharge papers at BSCS Right now, it's one day at a time. We would appreciate any suggestions, advice, ideas and help given to us. Many thanks.
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