Parents voice concerns about Alafia Elementary

Friday, November 21, 2008

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Dozens of concerned parents met with school leaders at Alafia Elementary School Thursday evening.

VALRICO (Bay News 9) -- Parents met Thursday night to voice concerns over the lack of working heaters at a local elementary school.

The cold snap earlier in the week hit some students at Alafia Elementary School especially hard, as their portable classroom was without functional heaters. Parents said their children had to stay bundled up in coats and mittens all day to do their work.

However, their complaints with the school didn't end there. They also say the portables are dirty and that there isn't enough security.

At Thursday night's meeting, frustrated parents let Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia know what they thought about the situation.

Elia scheduled the meeting to explain what steps the district was taking to improve morale, security and communication between parents and the principal.

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Parents have already been complaining for months about the principal's leadership skills and conditions at the school.

For example, they said they weren't notified that their children were being moved into portables during a campus renovation until the last minute.

"Thursday I picked up my child and I've got a backpack full of books, saying he's moving so that was a concern," said parent Ashunti Douglas. "Then, of course, he says, 'Mom, we had a dirty portable. We have to go in another classroom to use the bathroom.'"

Parent Bonnie Hernandez expressed similar concerns.

"It's not a good thing," she said. "Teachers morale, also, turnover with teachers is another situation. It just doesn't seem to be a happy place."

Joy Langone said she was critical of the superintendent's handling of the situation at Alafia Elementary.

"The only thing we hear Elia say is, she's going to check on this and get back to us," she said. "Does she think we're investing this stuff?"

In October, Elia sent an assessment team to the elementary school to investigate complaints about the principal. The team found a stressful environment at the school, but Elia and other school leaders assure parents that a fix is on the way.

"The principal is going to have a mentor, a coach, the lady who opened the school and was it's first principal," said Hillsborough schools spokesman Steve Hegarty. "I think that will be good. We can all get better with coaching."

Other recommendations include encouraging more input from parents, recognizing teachers for their accomplishments and using communication tools like email and phone calls to get information out to parents.

The school has also implemented a sign-in system to make sure the campus is safe while construction crews are at work.

As for the portables? The district said crews are working to repair them immediately. However, school leaders admit that repairing morale and lines of communication make take a while longer.

Previous stories

Bad timing: Hillsborough portable classroom lacks heat (Nov. 19, 2008)
Parent complaints bring school board action (Oct. 24, 2008)

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