Jackson Preparatory School

My child first enrolled at Casey Elementary back in 2012. That year was a great year. The parents would receive newsletters ahead of time and would also receive weekly reports from the teachers about their child's grades, lessons, and behavior. Things have changed since then. We are getting late notices about school events and school closure during the holidays. I would have to go online and check the JPS school website to see when the kids are to return after the holidays. Casey now has a new principal and she is not very active with the parents at all. I didn't even know what she looked like until about three months ago. I'm use to meeting my child's teacher and other staff during open house or the first day of school. I've had some concerns that needed to be addressed and wanted to have a conference with the principal, but she was always out of the office. I've left notes inside her box at the office for her to contact me and she did not respond. I finally heard from her during the last three months when I first found out who she was and it was to address an issue that arose about my child and from that point on she has been constantly contacting me. Some of the things I'm contacted about don't seem reasonable and I'm beginning to wonder if it's sort of nitpicking. Some ways that I'm contacted are not by meeting it's unannounced and it's either a day or days after these issues arise. I find that very unprofessional. This hasn't a been a good year at Casey Elementary at all.

Teachers and administration seem to always be unorganized. My son and 3 other children where excluded from kindergarten promotion activities. And I basically had to home school my child due to inatentive teachers and lack leadership from the principal. My highly intelligent child was repeatedly place in a class with non verbal, highly challenged children because he has adhd. And the children in exceptional edu. rarely go outside for recess! My child dreads going to school because he doesnt want to be couped up in a classroom with peers who arent intellectually stimulating. Long story short my child was robbed of his kindergarten year and the administration is not being accountable for why my child and a few others slipped thru the cracks. Principal told me that she doesn't micro manage her staff...in other words she has no idea whats going on in their classrooms. Actively looking for a school that has my childs best interest in mind and not whats convenient for the teacher/staff.

My big man is absolutely thriving here. He was attending Highland Bluff when we first moved to Brandon, but I found them too large and overly obsessed with tests to the detriment of almost everything else (they were lucky to get recess in a given week, and if Scandinavian educational models are any indicator, exercise and recreation are as important as math and reading to a good student). My child's father took a job with RCSD and we were able to elect to send him to Flowood; best decision we ever made. There's considerably more racial and economic diversity (hard to come by in Brandon, admittedly), the school is smaller and more accessible, and the teachers really work with your child to help them succeed. My son had near constant disciplinary problems at the last school (because why not make them sit and pound the books for hours with no break to blow off steam? What could possibly go wrong?) and I was even strongly hinted to that I should seek an ADHD diagnosis and put him on medication. We come to Flowood and, aside from the odd spate of talking too much on his part? We've barely had an issue. Funny, that.

My daughter and son says the students are nicer here than any other school. The school staff is amazing. Great looking football field and gym! Everyone I have talked to loves Jackson Academy!