Fairbrook Elementary School

I believe this school is more concerned with their Excellence rating than their students. My son started the schoolyear in a Kindergarten class with a teacher who was 8 months pregnant, juggling roughly 50 students between her morning and afternoon classes. She stayed for one week before starting her maternity leave and abandoning all those children. 5 and 6 year olds need continuity. It's scary enough starting school, but changes like that do nothing to instill confidence and security.

My son was distracted and disruptive. Within two weeks of starting the schoolyear we met with the principal, guidance counselor, and new teacher. They basically told us that our son wasn't mature enough and they wanted him out. We told them we didn't think quitting was a good message to send our child. My husband began volunteering several times per week and was pleased with the improvements our son made. We met again with the school team and they said he was not welcome, either, because it wasn't good for our son. They became overly emotional and kept insisting that the only answer was to keep our son out for another year. No other options or even suggestions for how we could help him were provided.

I asked what we could do to help our son prepare to return the next year. They said 'Nothing. He just needs to stay home another year'. After having just graduated from preschool with nothing but positive scores and feedback, I found the idea of just keeping my child at home to be counterproductive. How can a child grow socially with no peer interaction?

Clearly, the plea to just give him another year was not intended to benefit our child. It was a plea for us to lighten their own load and prevent them from taking a hit on their reputation.

We have since enrolled our son at a Montessori school where he is not found to be disruptive at all. My husband and I are sorely disappointed in Fairbrook Elementary and would not recommend it to our worst enemy.