7395 Murphy Ln
Smithville, MO 64089

This schools no bullying rule is false!! My child has asked to move schools so many times thought the 2 years she was there. We will be moving schools. this is unacceptable how much the don’t care about the kids mental health. Along with not doing anything about bully!

This school has been the worst school that I have ever been to, and I have been to more than six schools. This is the least welcoming school, and almost impossible to make friends unless you do dumb things for people to laugh about. The counselors do not care about whether you have a problem or not because they have too many kids to deal with. The school has so many things happening in a month that they can't deal with them in a proper way. Every few weeks, there is a lockdown because something happens. I have never had to walk outside to get to my classes at any other school, and I walk about 4,000 steps each day just to get there. They cannot figure out the transportation system; my bus stop has changed, and my bus is running for no good reason. The worst part is just the hour-long bus ride in the afternoons. I have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to barely make it on the bus. I have only had a fw decnt days, and those were mainly at the beginning of the school year. I sit alone at lunch each day; nobody allows me to sit at their table or invites me to. But I understand some of these things are just part of high school. I should have gone to Park Hill High School because I am 20 minutes closer to there than away from Platte County.

The school and most of the staff are wonderful, with a few serious exceptions. One 1st grade teacher is overbearing, short, and rude to her students. After serving as the summer school principal, she seems to be on an authority high and treats children harshly. There are also major concerns with the students-with-disabilities classroom. The teachers in that room frequently play around, chase each other, and spray one another with a water bottle. At times, they even spray the students, which feels more like trying to train animals than caring for children. The school is far too small for the number of students it serves. Every usable space in the building is full. In an effort to lower class sizes, additional teachers were added, which only worsened the space problem. Some student support educators have been teaching from carts in the hallways, and educators who provided interventions for struggling students were let go simply because there was no adequate space for them to work. This in particular was truly a tremendous loss for the school. In all honesty, the building needs to be expanded. There is a need for a larger health room, a bigger library, more classroom space, and additional common areas. The roof still leaks even after extensive repairs, the technology does not work consistently throughout the building, and the storm shelter areas are not sufficient. These conditions make it difficult for the school to properly support students and staff. Bullying is another major issue. Students who bully others are only mildly reprimanded, and the administration rarely takes meaningful action. The principal shows favoritism toward higher-income families, certain staff, and students in sports such as football and cheerleading, who are treated more leniently.While the school does not have widespread behavioral problems, it is deeply concerning when a student can repeatedly bully, fight, and disrupt class without real consequences. Simply sitting in the front office is not enough. Overall, these issues create an environment that feels unsafe, unfair, and inconsistent. Until there is a change in administration or the District enforces clear, equitable standards, the school cannot fully provide the supportive learning environment every child deserves. However, it still is the best overall elementary school in the district.