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Parents Complain To School Board About Problems At Jay High School
September 11, 2009
Angry Jay High School parents attended the Santa Rosa County School Board meeting Thursday night to call for the board to address problems at the school.
The recent arrest of two Jay High School teachers — Ashley Burkett and April Watson — on charges they had sexual relationships with underage students was the event that prompted the parents to ask the school board to investigate problems at Jay High.
Jay parents alleged problems with inappropriate clothing worn by both teachers and students, teachers using their cell phones during school hours, a student sending text messages during a test and thefts.
The principal of Jay High School, Dale Westmoreland, attended the meeting Thursday night, but he did not address the board.
Santa Rosa County School Board Chairman Ed Gray said the board would take the allegations into consideration and investigate as needed.
Comments
20 Responses to “Parents Complain To School Board About Problems At Jay High School”
I wanted to comment on the dress code problem. I know from the mouth of a teacher (not a Jay teacher) that she feels she is losing control. She tries to warn a kid a few times about his/her actions or clothing, and when she finally has to take action, the parents stand up for their children no matter what.
I would love to home school my 14 year old. It seems so difficult.
Anyone know websites that help you to understand what has to be done etc?
I really think parents need to stop letting their children get away with everything.
Skimpy clothes and bad behavior. Especially by the time they are Seniors, they think the rules don’t apply. However, it’s the 8th graders the teacher I know was having trouble with.
I don’t have children at jay but i do have children in middle and high school and when I read the scores for our schools santa rosa and escambia, honestly I was thrilled that jay got A’s across the board and if i remember correctly that was since 2004, all places have problems and they do get worked .
Let’s just all sit back, take a deep breath and let our children get along. Novel Idea.
All of these posts just solidify the point people are making. Unless you are a coach at the school you should be making no comments as to who plays and what position they play. Athletics should be a place that the best comes to the top not that your child gets to play because of your money or actions. All of you need to sit back and take a look at YOURSELF and question if what you are doing is for the betterment of the school and students are if you have your own personal agenda. As for the dugout construction it was just very coincidental that the work came the same week as the the release of the information about the inappropriate actions of the two teachers and the fact that one of the husbands is the softball coach. Makes everyone sit back and say HUM! You all know if you have children in JHS that there have been issues swept under the rug for years. That is just Jay. Lets all take a step back let the School Board and Law Enforcement do their jobs and for once put ALL of the students first and make JHS the best school it can be. And remember at the end of the day all of our children must attend school together at JHS.
Yes, JHS has produced several successful individuals. Take a look at Jay Medical Center. EVERY doctor, including the eye doctor graduated from JHS. Take a look at the faculty at the Jay High School and Jay Elem. School. MOST of these teachers are a product of JHS. Some complain because we hire our own. Why not hire our own. We know where they were educated. SO, there is apparently some good things going on at JHS. Too bad a few “angry” people are trying to bring down our school. Unfortunately something bad just happened at our school so these angry people want to keep adding fuel to the flame. Perhaps they would like to return to college to become a teacher, coach, or administrator. It’s not as easy as it looks. There are parents to deal with.
Like any other school, JHS is not perfect, but there are a lot of successful kids coming out of JHS, and it is apparent that there is a considerable amount of good being done by the educators and administrators at Jay High School. This whole thing comes down to a big smoke screen……..while the school and administrators are vulnerable, people go complain about relatively small issues, and try to slip in their personal reasons for complaining. Mom of 2, you are absolutely right………..if it is that bad, go somewhere else. Parent, I think that “centerfold” is a stretch. Even you think that phote was inappropriate, centerfold and nearly naked are not what it was.
Mom of 2…….it is nice to see that people realize what the true intention of this group was. Like I said, everyone knows the reason they are complaining is because a member of their family did not get a job. They voiced complaints of an ineligible athlete. Is it another coincidence that this supposed ineligible athlete happens tp play the same position as a member of their family. Their true intentions and personal agenda are apparent to everyone.
From what I understand this was basically an “angry family” along with a few others that approached the school board. They are angry with the teachers, angry with the coaches, and angry with Mr. Westmoreland. Now that is a lot of people to be angry with. I believe what has happened is now that our small school is “in the sportlight” there are those that just want to pull us down even more. Let me assure you that Jay High School is not the only school that has flaws. However, I haven’t heard of “angry parents” from other schools speaking at the school board meeting. Why not go to the source and discuss the problems instead of standing up in from of the school board and low rating JHS. There are some excellent teachers at JHS. Just look at the FCAT scores each year. However, when something like this happens it appears to all those that read these posts that JHS has major problems. All schools have problems. For those that are so unhappy with JHS, take your children else where. Go to Pace High, oh wait, they are having problems. Go to Milton High, oh wait, they are having problems. Perhaps you may need to home school to be satisfied. Go Royals!
I strongly feel as though the people that went to the meeting have an absolute right to voice their concerns. However, I cannot understand why they would complain about work being done on the dugout at the girls softball field. That work was done with donations and volunteers, and to voice the opinion that it was done without school board approval, and there was some underhanded or unethical motive is absolutley idiotic and ludicrous. Whoever stood up and complained about that, should take a good long look at their motives. It seems like people may have a personal axe to grind. Maybe it is not a coincidence that the family leading the charge is disgruntled because one their own did not get one of the recent jobs opened by the dismissal of the “sexcapade” teachers?
once again…HOMESCHOOL PEOPLE…. HOMESCHOOL…..then ya wouldnt have these outragious issues with ” teachers and students “
Greg Blackman, you are so right! We need to lift those wonderfully committed teachers up at Jay High. They are frustrated with the administration not carrying out a quality leadership role. A school faculty needs a strong leader to set the tone for the whole school. Most of the faculty takes on the responsibilities simply because they care. The yearbook “centerfold” is a prime example. The yearbook sponsor is a good Christian lady. She was told by the administration that because she didn’t have a written policy in place to prevent the nearly naked photo, she had to include it. She has a written policy now. I have witnessed Mr. Westmoreland on stage at the Awards program, while girls with their bottoms were hanging out their shory shorts, stood write in front of him. He had a very plain view, right at eye level, of their violation of the dress code. I am just ashamed that my husband and I didn’t take the time to go and address the school board at the meeting. Parents, we need to join forces. Thank you to those who went and represented us.
They could also take cell phones away or check their phones to see when they are txting. Parents have to take some responsibility for their kids actions. You should have taught them right from wrong so you would not be having problem with your child. You know what you bought your child to wear and what they left the house in.
If there is inappropriate dress or behavior among the students, parents, quit complaining and look in the mirror to find the problem. 14-17 year olds ARE NOT adults yet. Yes, I have 2 teenagers so I am not just blowing hot air.
this is to -just a thought -everyone can say what they want but for years now and for years to come every school has teachers who dont do our children justice some dont want to put forth effort to teach,some treat some like they are stupid,and lets not forget if the parent is not in the “click” then the student will see that the same rules do not apply to students who’s parents are in the”click” my kids do not attend Jay but believe me it is not just Jay . To the committed teachers of Jay this too will pass.
I am a resident of the Jay area and have a child in the Jay School. I feel that we are forgetting that the vast majority of teachers at Jay Elementary School and Jay High School are deeply committed to their profession and they would do anything professionally possible to make a positive difference in the lives of their students. Lets not infect the whole school on the basis of a few teachers who choose to make wrong decisions. Believe me when I say it happens everywhere! The world is not a perfect place, but this does not mean that students at Jay High School and Jay Elementary School are suffering from “Sodom and Gomorrah Syndrome.” This truly isn’t the case. The Jay area is filled with people who still hold to traditional family values and are “God fearing people.” I am saddened that the entire Jay area has a mark on us that we seem to not be able to remove or overcome. I hope that you will take the time to truly get to know the majority of teachers at the Jay schools and know them as I know them. For then you will see that the education of students is of primary importance.
Thinker (and others), obviously you haven’t been a classroom teacher
nor even in a classroom for a period of time recently. I only wish the Christian “socialization model” was evident now. It’s not our young citizens speaking out, it’s HOW they speak out. That aspect is learned the first four
or five years of their lives. Try “unteaching” that. Overall, a teacher’s ultimate
goal is to educate and nurture positive self-esteem, and I believe, given the restraints (you know–central control) placed on our educators today, they do a darn good job!
Well said “Observer”.
My ex Father-in-law taught in a one room school house in the Pennsylvania mountains. He resembled Abraham Lincoln and behaved similarly. He quit as a teacher when Columbia University, I believe it was, took over dictating curriculum for all schools. He saw the writing on the wall. That was back in the early 60’s or maybe earlier. He opened a Ford Tractor business. Too much centralization is not good.
But it seems to me that in a democracy we could keep education meaningful and the quality high at a local level if people are all involved. The trouble, in my view, is the way we socialize our children, which is a product of the Christian Church which started education. The American Church itself evolved from European monarchies where the King was considered and promoted as “appointed by God”, or God’s themselves. In short, we socialize children by putting them in an environment I call the “Sit down, shut up, and pay attention” socialization model. That works for monarchies but not well for democracies. We need to build a new environment of mediated discussions in our schools. Get rid of central control, lecturing, etc. Build self esteem and empower our young citizens to speak out and participate. Otherwise “decay” is truly inevitable. (Hopefully it will be decay and a rebirth of freedom.)
In many instances a principal’s role in today’s educational world has changed. He/she does not make major decisions or set school policies without the guidance or approval from the District. Often this puts the principal’s role more in the PR department as compared to educational-based decision-making policies of the past. Education has moved more and more into the PR realm during the past two decades as society decays and schools are viewed by the public as a cause or cure for our problems. Good educators are put in a precarious situation: Make positive, unpopular decisions and face the raith from the district or weigh one’s decisions on the court of popular opinion. At times one can lose regardless of the decision. The prinicipal is not the villian, but the target of the unrest.
ADMINISTRATORS and TEACHERS need to step up to the plate and do their job 100% or not do it at all. They need to be held accountable for the school policies not being enforced and all students need to follow all the policies, rules and guidelines that are set in place and if they don’t, consequences need to occur.
If you give the teen-agers an inch and let the rules slide, they will just take more and more until eventually it will get out of control. Adults, you should know better!Come on people, it’s not that hard.
They need to check into things. The teachers were told that if someone was in violation of the dress code that they were to handle it in their classrooms, not to send them to the office because they wouldn’t deal with it. Duh isn’t that what our administrators are for? Everyone up here know that Westmoreland isn’t going to do anything to anyone he is just taking up space and air!