Madras

Our family was part of this school community for several years. Our son began attending in kindergarten, and because of our positive experience at the time, we later enrolled our daughter. Unfortunately, our experience changed dramatically during her first-grade year.Throughout the 2022–2023 school year, we spent more than six months advocating for our daughter. From the beginning of first grade, she was bringing home failing grades. We repeatedly requested lesson plans, curriculum guidance, instructional materials, and meaningful communication so we could support her learning at home. We felt our concerns were not addressed in a timely or collaborative manner.During a parent conference, we were informed that our daughter could potentially be retained and that there were concerns she might have a learning disability. I was asked to sign a document acknowledging the retention discussion, but I declined because I did not believe enough had been done to help her succeed first.After repeatedly requesting instructional materials, we were finally provided with books and resources to use at home. My husband and I worked with our daughter consistently, and she passed every remaining test that school year. That reinforced our belief that she was capable of succeeding when she received the appropriate support.We later filed a formal grievance because we believed our concerns had not been adequately addressed. We expected an opportunity to resolve the issues collaboratively, but instead, shortly before the following school year began, we received a letter restricting our access to the school. We then made the difficult decision to withdraw both of our children during the second week of the school year.Today, our daughter is in fifth grade and is thriving academically with no academic or behavioral concerns. Our son is now in ninth grade and is also doing well. Watching both of our children succeed in a different educational environment reinforced our belief that withdrawing them was the right decision for our family.This review reflects our personal experience. Every family's experience may be different, but ours was one in which we felt communication was lacking, our concerns were not adequately addressed, and meaningful collaboration with parents was missing when our daughter needed support the most. Parents should feel empowered to advocate for their children, ask questions, and expect open communication and partnership from their child's school. Truly

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