George A Whitten Elementary School

Over the course of this school year, I have experienced ongoing concerns with my children’s school, particularly regarding my youngest son’s special education needs. Despite repeatedly requesting support and offering multiple solutions to help him succeed, my efforts were consistently denied or ignored. I had to advocate continuously—often feeling like I was begging—for the school to provide appropriate services.After receiving no meaningful assistance, I filed a formal complaint with the Sumner County Board of Education, but unfortunately, I never received an update and the matter did not appear to be investigated. Due to the lack of response and continued concerns, I was ultimately forced to file an administrative complaint.In addition, there was a serious incident involving my oldest child, who experienced an allergic reaction while at school. I was never notified with a phone call, and to my knowledge, no one was held accountable for this situation. This lack of communication and responsibility is extremely concerning.The overall environment at the school has also been very troubling. It often feels overly punitive, where children are disciplined for minor issues and are not given the space to simply be kids. At times, it feels as though certain students are unfairly targeted, leading to frequent calls home over small matters.This has been an extremely frustrating and disappointing experience, and it has raised serious concerns about the level of support, student safety, fairness, and accountability within the district.

In kindergarten we came to Montessori from public PreK and a very short 3 weeks at private school. The PreK was a pretty good experience, even with the COVID-19 alterations, the teachers really cared. But the private school was unprepared for our son's active neurodivergence. HMA is awesome with whole spectrum! No needs to a student who came in needing a wobble chair and a little more understanding/wiggle time. But now is almost as at ease as the other students. My student has been on an accelerated path that I didn't know could be a part of an education! He loves it! He bounces happily into school, doesn't dread it. He loves the research reports and I am so glad that they are learning that skill in 2nd and 3rd grade. Also presentations! They give class presentations, but also present to parents in costume on occasion. HMA has an excellent program! I know they are moving to a computer program for part of the upper elementary classes but they still weave in hands-on learning and those students get to help the younger students learn sometimes and there's no better teacher than teaching someone else a skill. HMA is a great school, and Montessori is the best kept secret in education.

Disappointed in the way HCA has gone downhill. New teachers every year because they cant seem to keep their staff. Bullying is beyond control. They aren't allowed to tell the teacher when bullying happens and the teacher says they are tattle tales. If grades aren't kept up, the director, Amber Mungle, will come up with a reason to expel them even if its not truly warranted. There's no chance for any time for the kids to enjoy life after school because the amount of homework and studying literally takes 3+ hours each night. If you are one of the elite here, your student can get away with anything they want and no repercussions. As for exra curricular activities, the only real sporting options are basketball and tennis. Do yourself a favor and choose any other private school.

HBK is an awesome school! The teacher to child ratio is low. All of the teachers are kind, very knowledgeable and truly enjoy working with kids. Spanish classes are included in you tuition. My son LOVES attending this school and we wouldn't have it any other way!