Stephen Decatur Middle School

This school truly doesn't provide the best accomodations and support needed for children with special needs. Administration barely even knows the kids, the kids' names, or close to anything about special education. Severe staffing issues in special education due to lack of support from administration and the turnover rate is only increasing more. Funds for special education are definitely not used properly. This school needs a whole separate wing for the special education programs (Regional Autism, Regional M.O.V.E., and CRI) so the students have everything needed for their educational experience to be successful (to include a home suite to learn life skills such as cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry; laundry rooms with laundry machines to wash student clothing if accidents occur; Adaptive PE room with proper equipment; aquatics pool for students to have their aquatics program; classrooms that ALL have bathrooms in them, etc.).

I love this school. I recommend this school to everyone.

My experience as been pleasant. I do participate in the PTA and volunteer at the school as much as I can. I truly love the Grand Parents programs. Principal Gastons and her team are doing an amazing job

Run. While some of the staff are wonderful, there are two that belittle students in front of their whole class and complain about students wasting their time when they are the ones going on and on and berating them for one little thing. They'll search their backpacks for things like makeup and phones so they can make a big deal about it, they have found pads and held them up and told everyone that those need to stay with the nurse (in front of like everyone), and they really seem to care more about "distractions" than the students' safety. A few years ago, a student was talking rudely about the size of a girl's chest and I don't think he even got suspended. They also lack a qualified music teacher and a qualified Spanish teacher. For at least the past five or so years, the Spanish teacher has simply been a person who speaks Spanish and prints out words searches for the names of fruit, and there have been a lot of Music teachers, too, but they're usually qualified, unlike this year. If you have a gifted child, don't bother with the Learning Enrichment and advancement Program (Leap); It's just extra homework. I'm removing my child as soon as the year is over.