Chaffee

My grandson and I both endured a deeply traumatic experience at this school. He lost his mother at the very beginning of the 2022 school year, and we had just laid her to rest when he returned to school. Understandably, he began to struggle emotionally and academically. Instead of receiving support, he was placed in a second-grade classroom with a newly graduated teacher who showed no compassion and appeared unequipped to handle a grieving child.Despite my repeated requests for help, the school responded with punitive measures—silent lunches and walking during recess for weeks at a time. My grandson cried daily and begged to attend a different school. I held multiple meetings with teachers, the principal, and the school counselor, but nothing changed.He was also bullied by other students, including cruel remarks about his deceased mother. The school failed to intervene or provide any meaningful emotional support. His academic performance plummeted from being an A student to failing, and the teacher seemed to single him out for every minor behavior—things that are typical for second graders. I received near-daily texts from the teacher about trivial incidents, making it clear that all eyes were on him while other students were not held to the same scrutiny.The situation became so concerning that I placed him in private counseling. His counselor, after working closely with him, told me plainly: his teacher was bullying him. Every day, he was subjected to emotional distress not just from peers, but from the very adult who was supposed to guide and protect him.He was physically bullied as well—slapped, hit, kicked, and punched by other students—and yet no action was taken. There was a complete lack of empathy, protection, and accountability. This school failed my grandson during one of the most vulnerable times in his life, and it failed me as a grandparent trying to advocate for him.I’ve waited a long time to write this review—not because the pain has faded, but because I needed time to calm down and find the right words. The anger and heartbreak we experienced were overwhelming, and I wanted to speak from a place of clarity, not just emotion. Families deserve to know what we went through, and children deserve better than what this school provided.Transferring my grandson to a magnet school was the best decision I’ve ever made. We finally found a place where he could be supported, respected, and begin to rebuild.