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@sgobert, thank you. I agree with virtually everything you've said.
My 12 year old is now on anti-anxiety medication, mostly because the almost-daily fights at her middle school were making school a terrifying experience. There are other reasons for this than just the fights at school, but the fact that she regularly has to walk past kids attacking each other is horrifying. It's the same school where the two girls were injured so badly on the inadequate crosswalk.
You mentioned teachers who are spirited and kind, but not experienced. We've had the same relative lack of experience, but sometimes without kindness or passion. My son has had several teachers leave midway through the year for cause and others who do not seem willing to engage or respond to questions. Both of my children need more support than they have ever received at school.
If I had known what the CHCCS educational experience was going to be like, we'd be living in Durham or Cary right now.
The latest news at East Chapel Hill high school is disturbing. Related, four months ago, I posted the following on another forum. These recent developments are pushing me and my wife to even more seriously consider bailing on CHCCS. (Boohoo, I know, as there are plenty of families lining up to take our place). But here is my summary of our experience since moving from New York 2 years ago:
The concerns we've had with CHCCS are numerous. We have children in 2 different schools, so these issues aren't unique to just one school:
Staff retention. Both of our kids spent months without teachers in core subjects. My son had a French class for which he is supposed to receive HS credit, and for months they watched movies and surfed the internet. This happened because the French teacher quit just days before the school year started. The middle school principal also was removed midyear, and you may have heard about the instability at East Chapel Hill high school and its principal.
Teacher experience. All the teachers we've met are spirited and kind, but many are inexperienced. As in 2-4 years experience. This is in stark contrast to NYC where most teachers were seasoned and had been at the same school for many years.
Curriculum. CHCCS doesn't invest adequately in curriculum development. Our kids' lessons seem to be cobbled from handed-down worksheets and random internet sites. CHCCS doesn't invest in evidence-based programs and educational software. There is little continuity from year to year. This is odd for a district that receives extra tax revenue compared to neighboring districts. Where is the money going?
Communication is poor. We are still on the email lists for our prior school in NYC, and we receive far more correspondence from that school principal and PTA organization than we do from CHCCS. Most of the correspondence we receive from CHCCS is from the superintendent rather than the principal/assistant principal. The superintendent communication is more inspirational than practical. Our son has an IEP, and the combination of turnover in the special ed dept and turnover in staff has been laughable. Thankfully, NYC showered us with effective services from birth to age 10, so he is in a good state now and not really in need of the services anymore.
Safety issues. I don't have a lot of faith that the schools are well equipped to deal with the increasing threat of school violence, primarily because of the above noted communication issues. Drop off and pick up is chaos. This is partly due to the layout of the schools and how they have been incorporated into the city design. At our middle school, signage is poor, crosswalks are faded and poorly marked, the crossing guard is overwhelmed. There is a paved path from the school that leads to the street out of the forest that kids race across without any supervision. Recently two children were struck near the school, and one remains in the hospital in critical condition. The ability for the district to coordinate with the city to ensure student safety overall seems poor. Can they not think to put down speed bumps, or add flashing lights to the crosswalk like they do on some intersections near the UNC campus?
I should note though that we do like Chapel Hill, our kids have been quick to make friends, and this is a welcoming place to live. The school district is not bad, but it definitely does not deserve much of the hype that it receives. Those high SAT scores are due to a highly educated and mostly wealthy population and would exist no matter where these kids went to school. In fact, one could argue, and I've heard this argument here many times, that if your children are not super high achieving, and yet your family does have means and sets high standards, you may be better in the Durham school district, because when applying to college your kid won't be labeled as just another smart, privileged kid from Chapel Hill.
The two bolded topics go hand and hand. This State does not invest in education and teachers are paid poorly and are leaving the profession. This is unfortunately an issue in all districts. Also money related is the lack of special ed services. You will not find the anything close to the level of early intervention that your child received in NY down here. There is a reason taxes are so high up there
@sgobert, thank you. I agree with virtually everything you've said.
My 12 year old is now on anti-anxiety medication, mostly because the almost-daily fights at her middle school were making school a terrifying experience. There are other reasons for this than just the fights at school, but the fact that she regularly has to walk past kids attacking each other is horrifying. It's the same school where the two girls were injured so badly on the inadequate crosswalk.
You mentioned teachers who are spirited and kind, but not experienced. We've had the same relative lack of experience, but sometimes without kindness or passion. My son has had several teachers leave midway through the year for cause and others who do not seem willing to engage or respond to questions. Both of my children need more support than they have ever received at school.
If I had known what the CHCCS educational experience was going to be like, we'd be living in Durham or Cary right now.
I'm so sorry you and your kids have had such a bad experience with the schools in Chapel Hill. It really is heartbreaking because I can relate to a lot of of you and sgobert have experienced and have had some truly horrifying experiences with Chapel Hill schools, like totally shocking and surreal.
I only suggested trying Chapel Hill High in case you felt your kids might not handle transitioning to a new town and new schools that well given their ages. It's exceptional compared to many other schools in the district in no small part because of the principal, but it still struggles with issues that affect the entire district. But given everything you've said, it sounds like a move to another place might be welcome.
I'm reluctant to recommend anywhere since it's such a personal thing as to what makes a school "good." That said, I think the recommendation for the West Cary schools was a really good one.
ETA - just wanted to add, in case you ever feel you're overreacting or anyone tries to make you feel like you are, I've heard of quite a few parents that are actively trying to get their kids of out East. It really is a bad situation, so much so that there's a community meeting about it next week.
The two bolded topics go hand and hand. This State does not invest in education and teachers are paid poorly and are leaving the profession. This is unfortunately an issue in all districts. Also money related is the lack of special ed services. You will not find the anything close to the level of early intervention that your child received in NY down here. There is a reason taxes are so high up there
Sadly, in NC many of our North Carolina General Assembly members consider these to be features and not bugs for our public school system.
I’m in the CHCCS district but we sent our kids to a charter starting in middle school not due to any problems with our elementary school experience but my oldest has an anxiety disorder and it just seemed like traditional middle school was going to be way too much. The charter has had its problems too for sure but no fighting. East was the star high school in CHCCS before this. I hope they can straighten things out. Hope you can find a good solution.
My 12 year old is now on anti-anxiety medication, mostly because the almost-daily fights at her middle school were making school a terrifying experience. There are other reasons for this than just the fights at school, but the fact that she regularly has to walk past kids attacking each other is horrifying. It's the same school where the two girls were injured so badly on the inadequate crosswalk.
You mentioned teachers who are spirited and kind, but not experienced. We've had the same relative lack of experience, but sometimes without kindness or passion. My son has had several teachers leave midway through the year for cause and others who do not seem willing to engage or respond to questions. Both of my children need more support than they have ever received at school.
If I had known what the CHCCS educational experience was going to be like, we'd be living in Durham or Cary right now.
I went to that middle school, though call a junior high back in my days. I could tell you some bad stories of my time there and I'm sure my Mom could tell different/worse stories. I don't think there was anti-anxiety medicine back then.
The latest news at East Chapel Hill high school is disturbing. Related, four months ago, I posted the following on another forum. These recent developments are pushing me and my wife to even more seriously consider bailing on CHCCS. (Boohoo, I know, as there are plenty of families lining up to take our place). But here is my summary of our experience since moving from New York 2 years ago:
The concerns we've had with CHCCS are numerous. We have children in 2 different schools, so these issues aren't unique to just one school:
Staff retention. Both of our kids spent months without teachers in core subjects. My son had a French class for which he is supposed to receive HS credit, and for months they watched movies and surfed the internet. This happened because the French teacher quit just days before the school year started. The middle school principal also was removed midyear, and you may have heard about the instability at East Chapel Hill high school and its principal.
Teacher experience. All the teachers we've met are spirited and kind, but many are inexperienced. As in 2-4 years experience. This is in stark contrast to NYC where most teachers were seasoned and had been at the same school for many years.
Curriculum. CHCCS doesn't invest adequately in curriculum development. Our kids' lessons seem to be cobbled from handed-down worksheets and random internet sites. CHCCS doesn't invest in evidence-based programs and educational software. There is little continuity from year to year. This is odd for a district that receives extra tax revenue compared to neighboring districts. Where is the money going?
Communication is poor. We are still on the email lists for our prior school in NYC, and we receive far more correspondence from that school principal and PTA organization than we do from CHCCS. Most of the correspondence we receive from CHCCS is from the superintendent rather than the principal/assistant principal. The superintendent communication is more inspirational than practical. Our son has an IEP, and the combination of turnover in the special ed dept and turnover in staff has been laughable. Thankfully, NYC showered us with effective services from birth to age 10, so he is in a good state now and not really in need of the services anymore.
Safety issues. I don't have a lot of faith that the schools are well equipped to deal with the increasing threat of school violence, primarily because of the above noted communication issues. Drop off and pick up is chaos. This is partly due to the layout of the schools and how they have been incorporated into the city design. At our middle school, signage is poor, crosswalks are faded and poorly marked, the crossing guard is overwhelmed. There is a paved path from the school that leads to the street out of the forest that kids race across without any supervision. Recently two children were struck near the school, and one remains in the hospital in critical condition. The ability for the district to coordinate with the city to ensure student safety overall seems poor. Can they not think to put down speed bumps, or add flashing lights to the crosswalk like they do on some intersections near the UNC campus?
I should note though that we do like Chapel Hill, our kids have been quick to make friends, and this is a welcoming place to live. The school district is not bad, but it definitely does not deserve much of the hype that it receives. Those high SAT scores are due to a highly educated and mostly wealthy population and would exist no matter where these kids went to school. In fact, one could argue, and I've heard this argument here many times, that if your children are not super high achieving, and yet your family does have means and sets high standards, you may be better in the Durham school district, because when applying to college your kid won't be labeled as just another smart, privileged kid from Chapel Hill.
My 10th graders attends Chapel Hill High and our experiences are just opposite. 9 years at CHCCS, 2 kids, and we couldn't be any happier. We know it's not perfect, but not sure it will be any better at any other NC public districts. Good luck with everything.
Hopefull ECHS could make a turn around. There would be a meeting tonight in the district starting at 5:30 pm and you could attend to show your concerns and support.
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