SHANNON Plan in Hatcher Heights by Drees Homes
Fairview, TN 37062

The current principal is mismanaging what could be an amazing school, completely focused on herself and her singing career. School events show this clearly- listen to her speeches and watch her take the limelight away from the children. Some staff members are excellent- though others can be awful to the children. Behavioral and safety issues of poorly acting staff are covered up when brought to attention- ask a wide variety of parents and some willing staff members to speak up and it’s revealing. Parent calls and emails with valid concerns are ignored by the principal or even gas lit. We speak from experience and from community sharing with us. My child, along with many of their friends, witnessed many injustices while there and other friend/family members have as well when visiting. Some cafeteria workers mistreat the children with scowling, shaming, pulling on children and my child even witnessed children forced to keep their heads down “stuck on tables” for minutes at a time as punishments for loudness or wiggling. My child has regularly witnessed staff yelling traumatically at children with special needs and any children for that matter. A new county superintendent and new principal here would be a great start to improving things at this school and county wide. We are understanding that there is little to no training or even drug tests for faculty either. It’s a complete gamble whether your child will have a great teacher or even a decent day. If lucky to obtain a great teacher for the school year, if that teacher is out for any reason, the substitutes can be horrible. There needs to be regulation of adult behaviors and drug testing in Williamson County Schools starting from the top management. It’s a mess.

Overall this is not a bad school, but it is in one of the worst districts, with the worst leadership you could ever come across. This district has cut a program that supports struggling students and families experiencing hardship by 85%. A program that is only 0.00% percent of the district's budget. The funds were instead diverted to cover dental plans for teachers, the district would otherwise have to cover from the district general funds. It is absolutely shameful.

Unfortunately This school has declined significantly over the years. Staff have been observed yelling at and speaking harshly to students. There is an excessive focus on rigid structure, which appears designed more to control students than to support a positive learning environment.The school has gone through several principals in recent years—a period that also included a serious incident involving a student that reportedly brought the school close to a lawsuit. My son shared that his three years here were the worst of his life, a statement that speaks to the depth of the issues.Communication between the school and families is another serious concern. All outreach is conducted by email, with little meaningful engagement or transparency. As a parent, I felt entirely excluded from my son’s education and from any real understanding of what was happening at the school.