James A. Garfield Elementary School

I love the principal, Mrs. Howard, but I can't stand the teachers in that school. They're lazy. They want to do as little as possible for their job, and 85% of them should NEVER have chosen teaching as a career when they do not have the patience to deal with the students. I understand that they're over worked and under paid, however, it is not the students fault that they chose the career they did. At the end of the day, MCSD, preaches about accountability, and yet the ADULTS and TEACHERS that work there, do not even have the ability to hold themselves accountable for their own actions and tempers. My daughter went to this school, and she too had the same experience as my son, with the issues regarding other students and teachers, and when she left, the teachers at Grant and Harding went over her record written by this school and they even believe that these teachers are incredibly wrong. My daughter went from an F student and being bullied and harassed by teachers and students in this school to now being at Harding and on the Merit Roll and being fought over by three different teachers that wanted to nominate her for Student of the year along with earning 3 prexie rewards through the school year. Fix your staff and then your school with be fixed. Simple.

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I am new to this school and am holding out on my rating for our new kindergarten student, but the staff has been friendly and the kids seem to enjoy being there. We've one in preschool though and she has special needs. I've been mostly very pleased with the schools response to her needs.

Although my child has just started attending school (she is in Pre-k). We are extremely happy with her teacher, principal and their concern for her education. I have no complaints. She is advancing quickly, her teacher is very hands on and keeps me informed of her progress, and her Principal visits her classroom often and stays involved. I also love that she looks forward to attending school everyday, this tells me that the Staff is keeping learning fun.

My kids have been to a few different Marion City Schools and I can honestly say that this one is by far the worst. Week after week the same issue arises and their solution is therapy and medication whatever it takes to avoid addressing the real issue. No corrective measures are being taken for the repeated behavior issues. I am in the process of switching my child to another school. I asked to have my student switched classrooms to avoid switching schools but it turned into a debate and was told they would constantly be switching kids around if they switched every time there was a problem which lets me know I am not the only one having issues NOT being handled. It get exhausting after about the seven or eight time . Not professional in any way, shape or form. Never again would I send a child to McKinley Elementary!!!