13331 86th Ave N, Maple Grove, MN 55369

Rice Lake Elementary used to be a very good school that I felt good about sending my children to. The two rounds of previous principals and the interim principal saw the school through a number of changes and there were the normal growing pains, but it was still a good school. Hiring the new/current principal after covid was a huge detriment to this school and I would no longer send my children there. I would even send my child to another district before sending my child to this school now under the current leadership (or lack thereof). It speaks volumes that almost all of the experienced and long-standing teachers that helped to make Rice Lake the strong school it was, left within a year of the new/current principal. While I have nothing against the principal personally, after many conversations with staff and other parents, she seems severely lacking in leadership and management skills. The principal has a very passive-aggressive style with staff and parents alike and it is very hard to get her to confront and address most problems. She seems to run the school like a click and if you get on her 'good side' and 'butter her up', you are in the in-crowd, but if you have an issue or concern that needs addressing, you are likely to be ignored. She seems to hide from problems - unwilling to meet with people, including staff, to address things. She gives the appearance of involvement, but she hides from problems. It is truly shocking just how avoidant this principal is and how much she brushes things aside and hides under a rug. My greatest complaint with what her lack of good leadership has done to the school is the safety concerns that have developed. Because of unwillingness to confront people and deal with problems, major student safety issues have developed and bullies and poorly behaved students now dominate the school. There are too many parent reports of assault to their students by 'bullies' that will not be addressed, let alone prevented. Under this principal, students no longer feel physically safe, which makes for a difficult learning environment. There is little to no accountability for disrespectful, let alone, unsafe behavior. Since the new/current principal has also caused most of the experienced teachers to leave, much of the staff is very 'green' and don't have experienced mentors for guidance. It is truly a sad situation what this school has become.