Darnell Marshall C Elementary School

I love this school . My son has been here for 3 years now and lives everyone.

There were staff changes made to the 2015-2016 school year which have greatly impacted my view towards Darnell ES. There is lack of structure in many classrooms, a messy schedule, unclear instructions and when parents volunteer to assist in the overcrowded classrooms of nearly 40 students, it is not accepted. The two years prior, I found Darnell to be a place where children received respect which set them apart. The new VP, Ms. Durham, uses intimidation tactics like so many adults do. She hovers over, yells two inches from kids' faces, shoves, grabs, and demands statements be made against their will. After confirming that my kid's 4th grade teacher cried in front of the classroom amidst a playground rumor that was never investigated, I began considering changing schools. I made the final the decision to home school once she confirmed her personal and religious views were being integrated in the classroom.

The pace of teaching is not challenging. Asking for extra credit to achieve a higher GPA is looked down upon. There are few extra-curricular activities offered. In all, Darnell has come down to the level of just another CCSD school, nothing special.

On a more personal note, my kid left the school feeling run out though she has a record of having maintained the highest Lexile reading and math level of all classes she has been in, always maintaining a straight A status, being an award recipient in every single ceremony, earning several Caught Being Kind awards and being as involved as possible including volunteering me. This year she was told she was an "overall huge disappointment".

This school seemed good until recently. My 5th grader has seen and been witness to horrible bullying, and the administration does nothing. I am so happy she won't go there any more. The PTA is awesome and has made it extremely fun for the kids, unlike the staff/administration. Staff and parents are pitted against each other and the P, VP do nothing but sit back. The kids are just numbers and are bribed for good test scores. Sad place. Nothing will be getting better. Many teachers are leaving because of the lack of confidence in leadership (administration) and lack of concern for students.