Santa veronica
Mission, TX

This school has been the worst to deal with in regards to attendance! My oldest daughter was highly involved in church as she served as the Regional Leader for the South Central region. With this leadership role, my daughter was involved with creating spiritual retreats 4x a year that involved 150-400 youth members from CO, NM, TX, OK, SD, KS. SHS did not recognize her role nor involvement with church and would not pre-approve any missed days. Even with a letter from the Director of our church. They said her involvement was not recognized as a Holy Day and would marked all her missed absences as unexcused. In addition, they are not giving credit to my Junior student due to attendance. My Junior student had Dr's orders to stay home as she was dx with hand foot & mouth which is highly contagious. So in order to avoid further contamination, we kept her quarantined at home for 4 days (Dr's orders were for 7 days). My daughter had 1 more absence, and now is currently not getting credit for classes that she has successfully completed. SHS states that no credit will be issued if 90% of school is not attended regardless of approved or not approved attendance. They have not been willing to work with us and just state that although the class was completed, my daughter will not be getting credit!This is absolutely ridiculous as my kids have been excellent students and excel academically. I am appalled that Religious Leadership roles outside of school are not recognized and were counted against my oldest.. and that Dr orders to stay home counted against my Junior student. The staff at SHS was neither willing or able to work with us on these matters as they stated that the State of TX requires ALL students to be at school for 90% of the time or NO CREDIT will be given. After further investigation on the state of TX attendance policy, I have found this to not be true, however SHS will not comply with anything else.

Scholars are happy and excited about learning. Teachers and staff are friendly and quick to help out.

Warning for Parents: Our Terrible Experience at Harry Shimotsu ElementaryAs parents, we rely on school ratings to guide our choices, but sometimes those numbers don't tell the full story. Harry Shimotsu Elementary's high rating shocked me, especially when considering the devastating experience our son had there in 1st grade. This school's quality of instruction and leadership left lasting negative marks on him, and we feel it's crucial to warn other families.Our primary concerns revolve around the former principal's deeply problematic conduct: * Unauthorized Diagnoses and Testing: The principal frequently diagnosed children with conditions like autism directly in front of parents, without any professional medical or psychological credentials. He also routinely removed children from classrooms to his office for "testing and evaluation" of their skills, a practice that is highly inappropriate and lacks proper oversight. * Abuse of Authority and Academic Punishment: My son was unfairly targeted. The principal, in collaboration with the teacher, withheld my son from passing grades and participation in athletics because he did not complete his homework. This extreme and disproportionate punishment for a first-grader, especially without proper educational support or communication, was a clear abuse of power. * Lack of Accountability: It became clear that this principal, having been in the system for a long time, operated with a sense of unchecked authority, acting as though he was "a king" and not accountable to parents or proper educational standards.Our experience at Harry Shimotsu Elementary was not just negative; it was damaging. It highlighted severe issues with leadership, ethics, and child welfare that parents need to be aware of.Advice for Parents: * Be Present: Don't just rely on ratings. Be actively involved in your child's school life. * Attend Parent-Teacher Conferences: Use these opportunities to build relationships and gather information. * Believe Your Kids: If your child expresses discomfort, fear, or shares troubling incidents, listen to them and investigate immediately. * Complain High When Kids Are Abused: Do not hesitate to escalate your concerns to district administration, the school board, or relevant educational authorities if you witness or suspect any form of abuse or misconduct. Your voice is critical in protecting your child and others.