Okay, obligatory burner because I have 4 kids there and I am NOT trying to make them targets, so bear with me. Also yes, I used AI to help me get my thoughts in order, bite me, I was too pissed to write straight.
So my daughter is going into 3rd grade now. Her kindergarten teacher, back in 23/24, turns out was never even credentialed. Same teacher I used to catch on her phone during volunteer hours while the kids just sat there doing nothing. My kid's reading was a mess that whole year and I've fought to get it back in line. I just chalked it up to, eh, kindergarten, kids are all over the place. Nope. Found out this year she knew she was getting let go and told everyone she was transferring schools, when really she just never got certified and they finally had to cut her loose. And she got to stick around for THREE YEARS, apparently, because her mom and the principal's wife are best friends. So my kid ate the cost of that little friendship for 3 years.
Then there's the camp thing. I got flyers for years, emails and texts straight from the principal himself, so obviously I figured it was a district program. It is not. He just runs it himself, on school property, on district time, for his own pocket. I've been funding this man's side hustle thinking it was legit this whole time.
Then the one that actually makes me sick. One of the camp counselors was also my older son's 5th grade teacher. Mid year, gone, put on leave, my kid had a sub for like 6 months and nobody really explained why at the time. This guy ran after school stuff, had kids literally acting as his personal barista, did the whole pinching thing on St. Patrick's Day like it was cute. Come to find out he was accused of texting kids inappropriately, kids from Sunset AND kids from another school he coached at.
And NOW I'm hearing some parents have been trading favors for classroom placement. Alcohol has been mentioned. I don't even know what to do with that one, honestly.
I bought a house in this specific neighborhood for this specific school. Did everything "right." Feel like an idiot, not gonna lie.
So parents who have been here longer than me, I need to know some stuff. Did people already know about the teacher situation before it blew up, or did it catch y'all off guard like it did me? Has anyone actually gone over the principal's head to the district and gotten anywhere, or does it just disappear into a folder somewhere? Does the district even know the camp is being run like this, or is that news to them too? Is the classroom placement stuff as bad as I'm hearing, or am I getting the exaggerated version? And is anyone else looking at other schools right now, because I feel like I'm losing trust fast here.
Not trying to start a pitchfork mob, just trying to figure out what's real and what I can actually do about it at this point.