J.M. Dozier Middle School

This school doesn’t communicate at all. Your kid could be in danger and they wouldn’t tell you. There’s fights every day, there’s teachers tackling kids to break up the fights, there’s lockdowns and your kid won’t get out of school on time and you won’t know why. You also won’t get an explanation after the fact either. No apology. This school just doesn’t care. We went and talked to the assistant principal and he’s totally uncaring, and said, “middle school kids are annoying”. Nice. Coming from admin. Can’t even pretend to enjoy his job.

This school is to be avoided if at all possible. I have 3 children who have gone through Newport News Public Schools. Dozier is the absolute worst. Classrooms are chaotic. Children are disrespectful. The teachers are overwhelmed and under-qualified. Good grief! Even their awards ceremonies are poorly organized and never run on time.

Moving from Pa to Va, my daughter's homeroom and math teacher (same man) proceeded to call my child slow in front of both of us on back to school night. He told her that Pa is very behind in curriculum and that she was in the "slower" math class so she could learn and play "catch up". My daughter was in AP math prior to moving here. For him to say something like that was mind blowing. Then today, my daughter was over sexualized and sent home for wearing leggings under a long shirt (almost knee length T). She was pulled from class as to not distract the other students (the boys as the admin lady told me on the phone) and had to wait for me to bring her a change of clothes. I will not let this one go. I am not okay with how they just laid out an example for my child that her education is worth less than a males because she is distracting them by being a female in class.

The Teachers at J.M. Dozier are outstanding. They are very interested in the children learning and they make it very interesting in the subjects that they know are needed for the child to succeed. I do not have very much contact with the Principal but the Teachers are on top of assisting the parents in matters that are necessary to solve any issues and concerns. Special Recognition to to Mrs. Marmon, 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher. She really makes History come alive!

I really didn't like this school. Most of my teachers were INSANE. My 6th Grade math teacher was constantly rolling her eyes and making me feel bad about myself. My PE teacher was okay, but he creeped me out a bit. Oh, and if you have a child who is the following: Sensitive, Good, Well behaved, Likes animal, or Nieve, this school probably isn't for them, because I'm all of those, and I have been mistreated ever since I came to that school. And also note, we aren't aloud to carry book bags or go to our lockers during the day. I also hate the security guards. All except for one, treat us like we are delinquents, and, I'm in the sixth grade and we are "worse" than seventh and eighth graders combined. We aren't aloud to go to the bathroom, or read, or aloud recess, we can't talk in the lunch line or we get suspended, and we get the stupidest substitutes! Once, my English teacher was gone and we were reading a story called, The Princess and the tin box in a school text book. At the end, the princess didn't pick the tin box and the teacher was all "Why would you think she'd pick the box?" And we said "IT'S IN THE TITLE!" She was like "Oh." I think I've made my point.