2143 Monticello Road
Napa, CA 94558

I was a teacher in a special education classroom. It was the worst teaching experience of my life. The students were warehoused with all the bullies and students with aggressive behaviors in one room. When I tried to utilize administration intervention I was told it was my responsibility and do not refer students to the office. There is no reasonable system of discipline. No detention system. No meaningful positive reinforcements of good behavior. Teachers are on their own and Admin does not support the classroom. I now am in a new school which has shown me how it can be done. They have a difficult population and little parent involvement but they could do better.

The campus feels increasingly closed off, with a noticeable lack of community. While small class sizes are typically a strength, at Vichy it feels as they have resulted in minimal parental engagement. A few committed volunteers shoulder most of the responsibility, and new families often encounter a parent community that is neither welcoming nor inclusive. Bullying is not taken seriously or handled appropriately by the administration. Students’ feelings are frequently invalidated, and district policies designed to address bullying are inconsistently applied, if at all. This creates an unsafe and unsupportive environment for children. The broader parent culture is cliquish, with a troubling lack of maturity and kindness. I am also deeply uncomfortable with the behavior of certain parents who, without consent, touch children who are not their own—on the shoulders, back, head, arms, or by attempting to hold hands. This boundary-crossing behavior is inappropriate and should be addressed. It is deeply concerning. Although the teachers are generally competent and caring, they are stretched thin—particularly in the arts and music programs. Despite this, the school is attempting to expand into grades 6–8 without adequate infrastructure or programming. There are no middle school athletics or enrichment opportunities comparable to traditional middle schools, which raises serious concerns about the quality and depth of the academic experience for older students. The recent installation of tall security fencing has further shifted the tone of the campus. What was a welcoming environment now resembles a detention facility more than a place of learning. Parents and students follow yellow-painted lines to a locked gate, where children are dropped off in a process that feels more like checking in at a prison than arriving at school. Vichy Elementary does not reflect the values or standards expected of a strong public school with limited diversity. It appears to be part of a broader trend of decline within the Napa district. Without meaningful changes in leadership, community engagement, and resource allocation, it is not positioned to provide a truly supportive or enriching educational experience for students.

Vintage High School is one of the best schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District. I think there is an imbalance between the two main high schools (Napa High has a significantly higher amount of low income students and has a higher need for ELA funding). Not sure if this is based the district boundaries, where Vintage tends to get the wealthier areas. Anyways, Vintage is a great academic institution and has a great English Literature program.