Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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If you have children in these schools, or know anything about them (are they considered good schools? reputation? safety?), then please tell me your impressions of them. I'm moving into the area, and these are the schools in my base area. Thank you.
AVOID!!! I had two kids in Dillard at one point, my son went there from 4th-8th grade, my daughter for 2nd-4th. The most incompitant staff, ugh, i can't believe i made my kids go to that school and feel bad about it. The principle of the middle school (I won't give her name here, but the initials are TA) was horrible and made the school LOSE its "NC School of Excellance" title. The school is about 60% affluent students from Lochmere and that area, and 40% "bussed in" students from the poorer/ghetto poole road area. At least that's what it was a few years ago. I would strongly suggest either buying in a neighborhood districted to another school, or trying to get your kids into magnet school. We actually moved out of the Dillard School district to the Apex school district but i had my kids use a neighbors address and stay at dillard until my son finished middle school. We regret that every day and wish that we had just sent both of our kids to school in Apex from the get-go.
Wow. Bad review! What in particular bothered you about these schools? You said incompetent staff... But I'm wondering what you mean specifically by that? If most of the school is from affluent areas, I'd think that the parents would be involved to make sure the school performs?? Thanks for any additional info you can provide. Anyone else can chime in too!!
It was mostly the principal and vice principals. Keep in mind this was over 5 years ago so things could have changed quite a bit by now. One of the vice principals ended up going to jail with a $100k bond for harrassment. My son was very upset his 8th grade year, he last one he was there and he first year of that horrible principal. She had some sort of "beef" with the eighth graders that year. Made them sit with their class at lunch (as opposed to the other grades, where they were free to sit anywhere they pleased in the cafetreia so they could be with their friend's, not a HUGE deal but just something you would thing 13 and 14 year olds should be able to do). Every other 8th grade class before my sons class got to go on a nice 3 day field trip to the outer banks; Mrs. A**** wouldn't allow it because she "didn't want to have the less priveladged students left out". Every other 8th grade class also got a nice little "middle school graduation" ceramony as well, so such luck for my son's class. I can't complain too much about the teachers, I feel the teachers were great in both the elemantary and middle schools. Oh, and by far the thing that upset me the most, and had my wife all the school yelling at the seceretary at the front office. One day, when the lovely principal decided the chldren were being to loud in the halls; she had all of the assistant principals and office staff, as well as the on campus officers BLOCK THE DOORS for over 5 minutes after the final bell had rang, when car riders (we drove and picked up our kids to and from school that year because we lived close, but were districted to another school so we had to use an old neighbors address). Did they at least inform all of the parents waiting outside in the carpool line why their children weren't coming out of the school? Nope. I'm getting all "riled up" just tyiping this now, and really wishing I had done more and reported the staff at that school back then.
This happened recently:
newsobserver.com | ACLU-NC criticizes school (http://www.newsobserver.com/print/thursday/city_state/story/814256.html - broken link)
Couldn't this been handled better?
UNBELIEVABLE I hadn't even heard of that. I do know there was an incident with a bus driver for the school turning the heat on when the temperature was 95 degrees outside, and making the kids close the windows, because she wanted them to be quiet. The bus was mostly black children, and the driver white. That also remeinds me of the time when the AC stopped working in the school in mid-may (which in NC can be very hot) and they didn't let the kids go OR call the parents. One girl had a heat stroke in the bathroom, at least that is what my son said. Oh man this is making me think of so many bad things about that school. The bus driver isn't really in connection with the school though. In all seirousness though, to the original poster, I really urge you to not send your kids to dillard schools. I have lived with the guilt of sending my kids there for a long time now. My oldest son actually argued with me to go to Apex middle in the 7th grade when we moved from Lochmere to south raleigh, where we were actually closer to Dillard schools, but were assigned to Apex (we later moved to Apex), and we sternly told him NO that we were keeping him at Dillard because it was closer.
edit; after reading the full article posted by MATONC...I see that the principal who I was referring to is in fact the same one who segregated those students. OH if only we still lived in NC i'd call the WCPSS on her!...i still can't believe we never did.
I wouldn't doubt it. Dillard is a mess, it was a mess 5 years ago when my son left, the year that the psycho principal took over; and apparently its an even bigger mess now.
Every other 8th grade class before my sons class got to go on a nice 3 day field trip to the outer banks; Mrs. A**** wouldn't allow it because she "didn't want to have the less priveladged students left out".
Did the PTA raise money to help the families who could not afford to send their kids?
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