Good luck to you - the safety issue is a strong concern to all parents.
One thing that I think can get lost in translation sometimes is that we hear something and want to express our concerns. Remember that there is safety in numbers. If you hear of someone with a concern, strongly suggest that the individual make their concerns known through the proper channels. As PTO officer - so many times people think that I have the ear of the principal (which I do) and that everything they say to me goes straight to him. I think that #1 - it is not my place to bring up little Johnny's problem with this, or mom's issue with that, #2 - something can get lost in the translation (remember the game of telephone we used to play) and # 3 - any concern has more validity when it comes from the person with the concern rather than through an intermediary. Instead - I listen to the concern of the individual, if I agree I tell them that I agree, if I don't agree I tell them "I don't necessarily disagree with your point" (neither agreeing nor disagreeing) and then I gently but strongly recommend that they discuss their concern with the principal. He has made his email address available to all of us - I suggest that they email him and ask to speak with him by phone or in person at his convenience.
All of that being said, I must say that we have the greatest principal. It is the first year at a brand new school. (Hope we can all say that next year after reading these two cases.) But the PTO cannot be everything to everybody - we are here to help, but we don't have all of the answers and I certainly do not want to give out misinformation.
Well I want to thank everyone for the info. We have submitted letters to the Board of Ed. We have had parents that have tried to talk to the principal and she has turned them away.
Hopefully things from here will start to get better. There has been too many things happen.
One of them being almost a legal issue when she(the principal) forgot to send a child home after detention. We are a walking school so the child was to walk home. After giving him time to walk home and he still wasn't there and about 1hr. late. The parent went looking for the child.
Finally about 11/2-2 hrs. later she found her son still at the school the school was locked and they didn't anwser the phone at the school. The principal was having a meeting in her office in air conditioning while this child sat in the hall at a study table with doors & windows shut, and it was VERY hot at the start of school.
This year has been unbelievable.
Thanks!!
CopyMom
Appeals to the school board and direct meetings with the superintendent are your best and most effective courses of action if it's that bad.
but you have to make the effort to reach the principal, as should other parents and the faculty. document your efforts. then make appointments to meet with the superintent. document your efforts. if none of these work, then my recommendation is to write to the school board. keep in mind, in many districts, the superintendent is in receipt of those letters.
your letter needs to specifically identify events that have occurred and what remedies you've sought. agree to meet with the school board. don't expect the board to discuss this kind of personnel issue at an open meeting, it rarely happens. do indicate that you expect some sort of response to let you know that something is being done about the situation.
while you're waiting, keep documenting (date, time, etc...) stuff going on, keep trying to meet with the principal (keep track of all meetings declined, or cancelled) and meet with the supintendent. it's a long process and a parent is typically NOT privy to disciplinary action being taken against an administrator... but hang in there. this process can be effective, especially if you're not the only one doing it.
ChicMom,
Thanks for your reply. That sounds like where we are and, I am the PTO President. I have already tried to talk to our Principal through our clear channel expressing the parents concerns and, it's like she could care less. I am in a difficult situation since I am a substitue for the school system. But, I truly have thought about urging the other parents to voice their concerns to the school board.
Thanks!!
CopyMom
Our school faced the same thing last year.
3 years ago we lost our principal that had been there a long time (25 years)it was a bad/hard situation. So the board hired a new guy, his first year everything was fine then year 2 came and it was crazy!! Parents were really upset! A friend who is on the school board said when they hired him they told him to not make any major policies, keep things as was etc... when year 2 came & i guess he figured it was his school now. Well Guess what he's no longer our principal!!!
Our PTO president wrote a letter about his dicipline & policies, teachers complained, parents called & went to board meeting etc... and the board listened!! Good luck! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Hi,
I am looking for some advice from other PTO's that has been in this situation. Our new principal was fine last year. (it was her first year) But, this year she has come in and changed everything. From things the PTO does to discipline to the teacher's schedules.
The discipline is so bad now. That my daughter a 1st. grader got a detention for laying down in music class the first full week of school.
They were sitting on the floor and, it was late in the day and hot. Besides they were not really used to the whole day bit yet.
HELP!!
