Cartwright Elementary School District

Family Welcome Center - Wish I could give 10 stars. This review is specifically about the family welcome center located next to district office. I have visited the welcome center on several occasions over the past 3 years. I have never dealt with such a helpful, caring, and productive group of people. Every person I have dealt with has been sincere, wanting to help, and proud of what they do. Friendly and proffesional, no one ever makes you feel judged if you are there needing help. And best of all they provide real resources. No wasted time on wild goose chases.

Should be called "Pass the Buck" School District. It is not a priority or important for the district to continue to support the playing of our National Anthem at district schools. They can enjoy the freedom of our Nation but refuse to celebrate our Anthem. When I confronted their district office all I got was excuses and buck passing, typical government bureaucracy!

I am writing this because I am extremely unhappy with Holiday Park Elementary School. I am more than unhappy. I am disappointed, frustrated, intimidated, and I honestly feel betrayed by staff members at that school. My first experience with Holiday Park was in 2015, my son Lucien was beginning Kindergarten. I constantly had Ms. Smallcanyon and the OT telling me he didn't need OT services because he could draw a straight line. Lucien has moderate to severe weakness in his hands and poor fine/gross motor skills. I was told he didn't require speech services because he demonstrated no fluency issues. Please note he did in fact receive outside services for OT because of his weakness and speech therapy for three language disorders. Ms. Smallcanyon repeatedly told me there was "nothing wrong with him" in spite of his teacher and myself advocating for him. It honestly felt like he was failed by this woman, the school didn't see his potential and decided to let him be a wallflower. He spent most of his Kindergarten year being walked around campus by support staff because his impulsivity was to distracting for his class. My son wasn't then and still isn't a priority. I have spent the last four years avoiding your district and Holiday Park because of my experience that year. However, unavoidably we were sent back there this year. I was apprehensive about the return because I was worried that my son wouldn't be taken care of, that his IEP and services would be negatively impacted because of Ms. Smallcanyon and her previous insulting assumptions. I have worked tirelessly the past four years to get my son the services he deserves and help him grow academically, I could not let that be jeopardized. I went into this school year open minded, expecting things to start off more positively, given he has an IEP in place. Unfortunately I was wrong. Before the school year began I was informed of a conversation overheard in which Ms. Smallcanyon and Ms. Juarez, the librarian, were discussing Lucien and the topic was that there's nothing wrong with my son and he doesn't need to be in SpEd. Why was my child being talked about? Why is he being discriminated against? Do either of them know more about my child and his health than me? This made me angry! I feel like before even seeing this new and improved Lucien 2.0 he wasn't even given a chance. My biggest disappointment happens to be with the district's placement of my child. He came from a cross cat academic based program in a self-contained classroom. He demonstrated tremendous growth and I want that to continue to flourish. I was informed by Ms. Smallcanyon on August 1 that Lucien's LFI class is barely learning numbers. Their plan was to provide pull out resource and the remainder of the day spent in the LFI class. I later found out that the LFI class was a preschool level class. Why would this be the most appropriate placement for him? Isn't this a violation of his IEP rights? I declined the resource pullout because Lucien is unable to work independently. I spent the first two days of this school year upset and scared for my child. I contacted Sara the psychologist at Heatherbrae and she did try her best to help me. I contacted Ms. Hoornstra to discuss my concerns, as well as discuss obtaining a variance to get into the proper academic based program he needs, since I was told "Lucien is a special case and we don't quite know where to put him". When the Principal called me back, she informed me Ms. Smallcanyon was on the line as well, and this felt very threatening to me. I felt as if I was being intimidated into not being able to say what I felt regarding the situation. It felt oppressive. I'm disappointed that not one of the schools in your district has an academic based self-contained program. I'm disappointed that you had no idea where to put my child and decided a preschool LFI classroom was the best fit. Was my child ever a priority coming in? I don't think so.

I have found the personnel at the district office helpful and going out of their way to answer my questions.

horrible experiance i am moving out these area just so my daugther can get some education the teacher from manuel pena kinder garden grade abuse my kid shake her rip her shirt and staple a message on her yes literly onto my kids skin do not let your kids go here after the abuse no school will take my kid into any school the teacher before the incident treaten to call my ex and let hem know were she goes to school even i have a 15 year restraining order on my ex beware if you complain the principal does noting