With all the reassignments going on, TCE parents are fighting to keep their kids AT TCE. For many reasons, I’m sure, but we, like all others are in the same boat of having to justify our return next year. It was suggested that we write the Board, “from the heart”. Below is what I have submitted, today.
My son is a fourth grader at TCE and as I understand it, he will be grandfathered in for his fifth grade, *if* we reapply but without transportation. The lack of transportation is a hardship we will endure to keep our son at TCE, although we’d prefer to have school-provided transportation. If he is grandfathered, it is our belief transportation should be provdied.
Why, though, would we endure the transportation hardship? Because TCE, under Mrs. Hargrove’s direction and with my son’s frog-friend, Mrs. Leach as well as Mrs. Fuller, his CCR teacher and his 3rd and 4th grade teachers have been our saving grace.
Joseph struggled in Kindergarten and first grade at OCE (our “base” school), but got through those years with the strong support of Mrs. Hargrove, Mrs. Leach and his teachers.
His 2nd grade year, however, was a nightmare. Without the support of Mrs. Hargrove, Mrs. Leach and without additional competent support, our son fell into a cycle of behavior, stress, depression and distress, the likes of which we’ve never seen in a 2nd grader.
After two months of requesting assistance and getting nearly nothing but demands from certain OCE personnel, we pulled him from OCE and homeschooled him for the remainder of his 2nd grade. Under the advisement of his therapist, we agreed to try 3rd grade in the public schools again, but ONLY if it was year-round.
We applied and were accepted into TCE. And 9 days into the school year, we had the same ‘2nd grade issue” arise. This time, however, Mrs. Hargrove and Mrs. Leach and Mrs. Bowers (3rd grade teacher) came to our “rescue” and rathering that offering to assist in “any way they can”, they made recommendations. They made suggestions. They offered more non-judgmental support in a one-week timeframe than we’d gotten in two months at OCE.
They helped us help our son. I will forever be indebted to them and Mrs. Fuller for taking our son on into the CCR program.
At our last report, he was AT grade level in reading (4th grade) and still struggling with writing, therefore continues to get support and assistance per his IEP.
To remove him from TCE after such amazing progress would be like throwing him to the wolves. His success as an elementary school student depends on those in whome he trusts. Until he departs for middle school, he needs to have that solid base so his progress can continue unabaited. It will not be so at OCE. He will lose his entire support system as will we, his parents.
We will do everything we need to do to keep Joseph at TCE for his fifth and final year of elementary school. His mental health depends on it. And that is not something I, as his mom, am willing to compromise.
So, as you go through the exercise of determining which students are to move to what schools and how to allocate transportation, consider that in many cases, a school is more than just academic education. Sometimes it’s a life line.
Thank you for your time.
Aimee Bickers
TCE Parent