Thomson Elementary School

This school has caused great harm to my child. If your child needs special services, I would recommend you to go to this school. But if your child wants to grow up happily and study safely in school, you should make a careful decision.

As a parent, in-class parent volunteer, parent chaperone (had to clear an FBI background check and get finger printed), PTA representative, I was very excited about Ross. But what I saw over 4 years, was deliberate withholding of FAPE from dozens of students especially those with any kind of dyslexia or learning disability. Why would the smallest school in DCPS, in Ward 2, always under enrolled, withhold reading supports to students eligible for an IEP? Ross leadership would not hear that 1 in 5 people have dyslexia. That people with dyslexia are super bright thinkers, and are more able to adapt because that is what they always have to do. Ross refused to offer supports to its teachers and supports that would not have come out of the Ross school budget. Ross leadership is focused on raising money from the the parents of the lower grades to pay for everything in the school. Dyslexia is usually recognized and or diagnosed btwn 2-5 grades when the work gets harder, and yet it can be detected as early as pre-k. Ross refused phonics and to give teacher training in Child Find- a federal and state law. Why would Ross NOT even support its own teachers in academic expertise? People want to teach as a small school, so why is there an intense turnover rate of teachers at Ross? For 10 years, Ross leadership refused to place a parent representative on the Personnel Committee so that the parents could have input on teacher hirings. Why? Parents, PTA, and LSAT signed a petition and sent it around to OSSE and others for Ross leadership in order to force a placement of a parent on this committee. This letter also demanded that Ross leadership hire non-white teachers, to hire racially diverse, teachers, representative of DCPS. Why did this have to happen? Ross could be a vanguard of change. It could be an incredible school for reading and writing, and why not? With this focus, students from 2-5th grades would stay rather than leave in a mass exodus in 3rd and 4th grades and/or leaving the DCPS system altogether. DC Council passed The Decoding Dyslexia bill- Ross Leadership should take everything in that bill and run with it!! It should become the top example for how the measures in that bill can turn around an entire school especially after 3 yrs of COVID school shutdown, Canvas, Teams, etc...(spring 2020, SY 2020-2021, fall 2021).

This is the worse school year for Walker jones 2021-2022. I don't know what is in the water ,but this school is not the same within the previous years of my children attending there. I mean the teacher turnover is the worse and i never seen that before. Its to the point where a teacher come and then in the next month they are gone. Every-time I turn around a teacher is leaving because they can't control the children there or they just can't deal with how the staff is being treated with limited resources. There been fights after fights left to right with the children and people coming up to the school to jump them or fights in the bathrooms. No resources for the children or anything or any after school activities activities( Art Club,Chess Club,Beyond The Bell). Granted they have Saturday School, but what children come to that? And of course a basketball team but thats every school. But what about those who want another outlet? I do give credit to the teachers who are there for the children and trying their best to come together for the children, but they can't do it all alone. I really miss the old days of Walker Jones. It was more parent and teacher involvement. They use to have Girls On The Run,Girl Scouts and even a School Garden that is now overgrown and just sitting there. The children in there are going crazy because they are bored with no resources at all and no one not even the principle is doing anything. I don't know if the budget is low because enrollment or what. But they need to fix it before they lose more children and shutdown for good. I just know my children will no longer being attending. Which is sad they been there since Headstart and this is the lowest this school ever been.

Wonderful school and lovely community. Spanish immersion program. The teaching is high quality and they are very serious about developing strong readers. Many families are under-resourced, and the staff, faculty, and PTO go out of their way to meet all students’ needs and ensure they get special opportunities. The biggest challenge is getting DCPS and the City of DC to address recurring infrastructure needs within the school and in the surrounding community.

Our 2nd grader has gone to Garrison since kindergarten and we cannot say enough good things about the school. From the principal to even the security, everyone is engaged with the students. The principal is a constant presence and knows all the students. There is a sustained effort to communicate with the parents. We feel like the faculty is invested in our child's education. Highly recommend.