Thomas Jefferson Middle School

We enrolled our daughter at MBTA with the hope of providing her with a caring, well-rounded, and age-appropriate educational experience. While there were some positive aspects—most notably the warmth of her teachers—we ultimately encountered several serious concerns that led us to decide she would not return.A major issue was the exposure of young children to content that was not age-appropriate, like music and or videos. I brought it up a couple of times directly with the teacher, and she explained that it was part of the lesson. While cultural storytelling can be valuable, the choice to show frightening content to preschool-age children AND without informing parents beforehand was alarming. We did not expect a private school, particularly one rooted in faith and values, to rely on screen time, especially not content that may cause fear or anxiety in children.Communication was another ongoing problem. Families often received last-minute or incomplete information, and on several occasions, even the teachers seemed uninformed about school matters. Despite our efforts to maintain open communications and share concerns respectfully, we received little in return.Most troubling of all was the complete lack of response from Mr. Robert Peters, the school principal. I communicated my concerns both via email and in person, expecting at minimum an acknowledgement, empathy, or a plan for improvement. Instead, the only response we received was a curt, "OK, thank you for your feedback." No further follow-up, no action taken, and no accountability. This level of indifference from a school leader was deeply disappointing and concerning. If the principal does not take parents' concerns seriously or act with basic professionalism, it raises serious questions about the leadership culture and what can reasonably be expected from the rest of the staff. While I acknowledge the kindness of some individual teachers and the ocassional positive moments our daughter experienced, the overall environment did not meet our expectations for quality, professionalism, or student care—specially at a tuition-based private school.