Suzi

Try looking up Malcolm X Academy on Greatschools.com in Hunter's Point. SFUSD assigned my son there, and were horrified by the experience we had (gun shots outside, code blue lockdown, substitute teacher instead of real teacher, limited setup, and no communication that my son had special needs and what they were - high functioning autism). Not only that, my son was only Caucasian in history of school to be assigned, which would make him a double target of violence or racism. Don't recommend SFUSD for sending kids to school. I'm packing up our home here and getting ready to move my 2 preschoolers down to Pacifica or Burlingame instead. SFUSD said we got no other school options, and acted like we were the ones with the problem. - Thu May 8 2008, 15:18

My son just got assigned to Malcolm X Academy in Hunter's Point last month. Gun shots caused school to be shut down second day of school, code Blue lockdown. I saw police officers walking down the halls and I wasn't allowed to leave the school. Also, my son was first Caucasian in history of school to be assigned, so not diversified at all, although they are trying (starting with us). I give credit that the school and its staff are trying in a neighborhood that has been so disadvantaged, but neighborhood is full of daytime gang violence and weapons. Pulled my son out of the school after that second day, and am writing a letter today to SFUSD, as was refused another school assignment when requested. Also, program and teacher weren't even in place on my son's first day of school (they put in a substitute teacher). What a mess the SFUSD is in and extremely callous when I complained that the school wasn't safe and my son would be a target, and the program wasn't even in place (my son has high functioning autism). I've never yet met another parent who had anything good to say about the schools here. Everyone tells me the names of the private schools their kids go to, but my mother-in-law is a believer in public schools, so we thought we would try that. My son who was to represent the only diversity at the school (as only Caucasion), and that just doesn't work. SFUSD set my son up (also special needs) to become a target for an unfortunate event.

UPS just delivered our moving boxes today, and I am packing up our home and moving down on peninsula to San Mateo County (looking into Linda Mar neighborhood of Pacifica, near to SF, where all the schools are newly renovated, with low crime, and diversified population, and much better SARC reports). It's cheaper for us to move than pay $50,000+ a year for both our kids to go to private schools in the city. Also, I spoke with some kids in Pacifica on the playground, who said they used to go to SF schools, and several of them said that SF schools had bullies, and they don't experience that kind treatment in Pacifica schools. - Thu May 8 2008, 15:10