5 Preamble
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

Send your child to private school for 2 years. The school administration does absolutely nothing in practice to address bullying and sexual harassment between students. The majority of students have underage social media accounts where they target other kids and make fun of them on a daily basis. Kids vape in the bathroom (5th grade). You will be made fun of over anything and everything from not having the latest iPhone to if your parents are divorced. This school is horrible and toxic. The teachers are immature (i.e. go on their phones nonstop) and are verbally abusive toward students. The 5th grade principal is impossible to speak with b/c she talks over you, interrupts when you can get a word in, downplays problems and won’t have an actual conversation about issues. They get around all the bullying and abuse by saying ‘well WE haven’t observed anything’. That is their M.O. This school flourished 15-20 years ago.

Springville Elementary School has unfortunately been a very disappointing experience. While it’s meant to be a safe and supportive place for young children (grades K–4), the overall environment feels overly harsh and not child-centered. Many of the teachers lack patience and compassion, often yelling at students instead of guiding them. These are very young kids, and the way they’re treated sometimes feels more like punishment than education. There seems to be little effort to understand kids’ needs or meet them where they are developmentally.The principal sets a poor example for the staff. One situation that really stood out was when a student accidentally fell in the hallway, and instead of helping, the principal tripped over the child’s head and then yelled at the student to “watch where they were going” — despite the fact that the child was already hurt and clearly not at fault. Moments like this show a real lack of care and professionalism. Constant yelling, public scolding, and a lack of empathy are far too common at this school. Young children should feel safe, respected, and supported — not afraid to make simple mistakes. Sadly, students in special education programs also do not seem to receive the care, patience, or attention they deserve either.

I once had a Spanish/ world language teacher who was pushing kids and not letting them leave (we almost missed our bus, and there were no late buses that day). The reason she didn't want us to leave was that we were standing up when the bell rang, literally out of time to leave and go to our lockers to pack up and get on the bus for the day.

Excellent leadership and an overall great learning experience for students