Renaissance Academy

It used to be gray 3 years ago. Today, the noticeable lack of stability among the staff, including the office staff and the principal. This instability has continued to affect the school environment, and it seems to have worsened over time. This year, for example, my child’s classroom teacher resigned at the end of August, and the position has remained unfilled since then. As a result, my child has had multiple substitute teachers with no consistent leadership in the classroom. There has been zero communication with families about the ongoing situation.As a parent of a child with special needs, I reached out to the school principal with my concerns, but it took a week to receive a response, which was merely an apology for the inconvenience. While I appreciate the acknowledgment, the lack of follow-up or any substantive action is deeply concerning.More recently, I learned of a serious incident involving a Special Education employee. When I picked my child up from after-school care—provided by a third-party organization on school premises—the after-school program leader shared a troubling report. She had witnessed a school Special Education staff member speaking to my child in a demeaning and disrespectful manner, even physically forcing him as a form of punishment. According to the leader, the SPED employee instructed the after-school staff to "make him do things, not ask him," and to isolate him so he could "learn." This behavior is unacceptable and deeply concerning, especially in an environment that should prioritize the safety and dignity of every child.I emailed the principal immediately about this alarming situation, and while I did receive a response stating that an investigation would take place, I have not heard anything further since then. The lack of transparency and follow-through on such a serious issue is simply not acceptable.

My child has been at Joe Lee Johnson for a few years now. When we started, the school was struggling, but under new leadership, it's really turned around. We've had excellent teachers and my child is a super reader! The campus itself is gorgeous and well-maintained and the kids love the playgrounds. The PTA is SUPERB, very active, and incredibly involved. I encourage you to join if you enroll at JLJ. Principal Dean is very transparent about the changes and the work being done to turn this school around and the teachers have been working incredibly hard to ensure all students get the attention they need.

Teachers/Staff are very friendly and helpful. There is after school care(which is awesome) many learning activities. My child loves her teacher and loves going to school. The school safety is great!