Abbott School

My children attended Abbot Kindergarten through fifth grade graduation. Many of the teachers that most helped our family and other families in needs were let go in favor of teachers who were more focused on test scores. While volunteering, I once witnessed a white teacher drag a black second grader out of the class by his collar to reprimand him. I frequently witnessed other teachers use shame and threats in order to control student behavior. The school has a PBIS system that publicly shames students who lack self-regulation skills. Most families at Abbot are affluent however there are many low income students who have many stresses and developmental delays due to instability in the house, who are wrongly punished. My youngest son has poor hearing in one ear which was documented through many audiologist visits. Although the school was frequently made aware, he was regularly disciplined for not listening. My youngest is a sensitive so he would often come home crying because he would miss instruction due to louder students around him. I sent multiple emails and meet with teachers to explain why he was not following directions and to provide documents, but I would not see any change. Abbot teachers have little patient for any misbehavior and very little supports for students with challenges. My children also experienced many incidences of bullying. My oldest once came home with a large abrasion on his forehead because a student slammed his head against a brick wall. My other child had many experiences where other students had thrown his entire lunch in the trash. The teachers when notified where unaware leaving me to think they were not well supervised. When my children were in Kindergarten, I separated from my children's father due to his physical abuse towards me. At the beginning of the school year, I had taken emergency custody of my children, and I was living in a motel in hiding. Only one staff member expressed any concern or kindness for our safety and she was later let go. She now works in a Head Start program where I am sure she is valued. While going through legal proceedings my children's father was making false allegations that I was mentally unfit. I asked my children's teachers to be a witness to my character and only one staff member (the one previously mentioned) agreed. I then received an email stating that the district did not want teachers to become involved. I found this statement devasting and I felt alienated from the community.