I am here to speak tonight because there is a crisis in my daughter’s classroom and administrators are not listening to us, forcing us to come speak before the board and respectfully ask you to listen and hear our voices. Fortunately, I’ve had the ability to sit in my daughter’s classroom and lend a helping hand on multiple occasions. I wish I could say that it has been a pleasure, but what I’ve seen has truly broken my heart. I want to be clear that this has nothing to do with my daughter's teacher - she is wonderful and continues to put forth extraordinary effort every day.
The behaviors are out of control and it looks as if there are students that need more help than they are getting. During the first three hours of one day that I observed, the students lost at least 30 minutes of educational time due to disruptions. I’ve seen students being blatantly disrespectful to all levels of district staff, including teachers and administrators. The teachers and staff have not been properly trained to handle the increasing level of disruptive behavior that coincides with the change to full inclusion that has taken place within the district. While sitting in the class I’ve seen students that clearly need extra help, who have needs that are not being met. They are not getting the help they desperately need.
I’ve seen students standing on desks, running around the classroom, leaving the classroom, crawling on floors and constantly disrupting my and other children’s ability to learn and simply function. Because of the constant disruptions new concepts that should only take one day span across multiple days. I can remember from my childhood that going to what today are called specials, things such as library, music, art and gym were highlights to my day but not anymore. The specials were worse than the normal classroom with actual time on task/ subject again being drastically reduced due the constant disruptions that were taking place. By the time the specials teachers calmed the kids enough to get them on task it was almost time to return to the classroom.
Initially I thought that my child would at least have a peaceful lunch, but I can without a doubt say that was an even worse environment than the classroom and the specials, with students screaming, running thru the cafeteria, leaving without permission, and being extremely disrespectful to staff. The final straw for me was having to correct my 7 year old after she misunderstood the problems and stated that the black children were the bad kids. Having to explain to a 7-year-old that race doesn’t play a part in the problems she is seeing is heart breaking. Unfortunately, I know for a fact that the same discussion is taking place in other households. Where is the help these children need? It is the districts obligation to provide it students with a safe, respectful learning environment. How can students learn with so many disruptive students in one classroom with a lack of support?
~ Brian W
In my opinion as a parent, the ongoing crisis that my husband has described is a big enough problem that it needs to be discussed publicly. At this time we need help from the board to come up with a solution so that we feel comfortable keeping our child in the district. To be clear, we love our daughter's teacher and so does our daughter. She is amazing and continues to be proactive and implement positive reinforcement strategies that she uses on a daily basis. In handling this situation, we went through the proper chain of command starting with the principal, Mr. Palaia, and Dr. Taschner and yet the situation continues. There is a consistent level of blame that starts with Dr Taschner and is passed down the line. There has been a complete lack of accountability. Even though another staff member has been placed in the room, it has not been enough support, especially when there is no additional help when she is out - including two days this week.
My husband went into the room to observe for two weeks, and as you have heard, what he witnessed was appalling. At no point did Dr. Taschner or anyone else from the district ever contact my husband to discuss what he witnesses in the classroom. I asked Dr. Taschner to join the previously scheduled meeting with Mr. Palia. I stated in my emails that all the concerned parents wanted to meet. There were only four of us. Dr. Taschner lied to us, flat out refusing to meet with us as a group. We pleaded with Dr. Taschner to meet with us as a group of parents who had the exact same concerns about the classroom. She would only meet with us individually. She claimed FERPA did not allow her to meet with us as a group.
After the fourth email she finally agreed to meet, but only with me and my husband even though we clearly stated that we would only meet as a group. As the four of us showed up to the district, Mr. Palaia stood in the doorway of the vestibule and did not allow us to enter the building. He stated that Dr. Taschner made herself clear and she should would only meet with myself and my husband. I had to request her presence, and only then did she come down, and stand in the doorway blocking the entrance as if concerned parents are not welcome in her district. Again, she claimed she was legally not allowed to meet with us because of FERPA even though we had agreed to sign waivers to absolve her of any legal issues. We were not there to speak of any of the other children in the classroom. The law, FERPA, does not exclude us from meeting as a group. I have a copy of the law.
We handed Dr. Taschner a letter requesting a BSc to be put into place in the classroom and gave a deadline. We have not heard a word. Dr. Taschner has ignored our request to help our children feel emotionally safe. We also asked for her to put into writing why she refused to meet with us, and her response to us was, "I’m sorry that you refused to meet with me." I am disgusted with Dr. Taschner’s intent to blame me for not meeting with her, and I am appalled by the blatant disregard for the safety of the children in that classroom. I am standing here because I am desperate and need to appeal to someone that can help with a resolution. I would encourage board members to visit the classroom, and would ask to meet you to help find solutions for this ongoing crisis.
~ Kim W
We are sharing our story in hopes that it will promote positive changes for Coatesville. First, we want to publicly thank the amazing Coatesville teachers we have had, Mr. Lefever, and those board members who have heard our concerns and acted on them.
We moved here in 2015 with very much hope for this community and School District. We did not come here blindly. We knew about the scandal in 2014, the school scores and rankings, but we did our research, and talked to many parents, alumni, and educators that we respected. They told us good things about Kings Highway, and the district in general. They spoke about the amazing teachers, sense of community, diversity, pride, respect, and tolerance, all things we wanted our kids to learn at a young age. We found the perfect house for our growing family. Then, we dove right in, we embraced our great neighbors, found an amazing church, served in the community, participated in school events, and the PTO. Things seemed promising. Our daughter started kindergarten in 2016, had an amazing teacher. We noticed some things that raised red flags for us, but mostly had a good year. We began to go to board meetings and do our own research. Slowly, we also noticed many of the peoples' opinions who encouraged us to send our kids to school here began to drastically change. Several even moved their kids out of district. It scared us, as it seemed so much changed so fast.
In 2018, due to growing concern about decisions being made in the district, we joined an advocacy group. We wanted to be a part of positive partnership and change. We were shocked at the first-hand stories of classroom disruptions we heard from parents and teachers. We actively started organizing and advocating. Still, our oldest had great teachers and we felt like we would continue to assess the situation. This year she is in the same class as Mr. and Mrs. W’s daughter. From November until April, I spent one morning a week helping in the class. After what I saw the first few times, I made the commitment to continue going in with my two year old and help however I could. What I witnessed was extremely concerning.
Multiple kids need more behavioral, emotional and learning supports. Their needs are not being met and they are disrupting the entire class. Even after a full-time behavioral consultant joined the class and some improvements were made, it isn’t even close to adequate supports. My daughter’s teacher is amazing! I have personally seen her put in place many supports and changes to address the needs of the kids in the class. This year, we have had support from Mr. Lefever, Mr. Palaia, and board members and for that we are extremely grateful. Unfortunately, Dr. Taschner would not meet with families from this class to talk about these systemic problems. We firmly believe there is a problem at the top that needs to be changed to right this ship.
We love so many things about this community and are heartbroken to leave, but after much thought and we decided moving is the best option for our family. You may wonder why we are sharing our story. Why not just leave quietly. We are sharing because we love this community and care deeply for those who are committed to staying. If you do not bring back proper supports in the schools for emotional, behavioral, gifted and learning supports, the alarming amounts of students, teachers, and administrators leaving, will not stop. Thank you for hearing our concerns. We are sharing with expectation that they will be acted upon.
~ Lisa S
Do you have an experience to share as a parent of a child in the district? We welcome your voice in the comments below, or contact us about submitting your own article to the blog.
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