Prattville Elementary School

Our experience with PES has been a NIGHTMARE! Our son is in 4th grade and due to medical issues has a 504. We made sure the office had the 504 and medical information when we registered before school started, however a few weeks into the year we found out that his teachers, counselor, and nurse were all unaware of his 504 and the medical issues surrounding it. My husband and I had to go in personally and make sure they all were informed of his needs! Then a few weeks later the 'administration' decided he didn't need a 504 and pulled it! We had nothing but problems from that point on. It took almost the full year to get them to put it back in place, when my son had reached the point of failing, and after many meetings with the teachers, vice principal, and principal. Even with the 504 back in place they continue to discipline him for behaviors related to his medical issues. From our understanding this is against the Section 504 and IDEA laws! If we were not moving we would be getting a lawyer. Since we are moving we have decided to just withdraw him early so he no longer has to deal with their incompetence. I can't recommend anyone send their child here.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my last year at PES and I could not be happier! It is the most unfriendly school I have ever been in. There are very few teachers worth the time. The rest need to find another job that would make them happy, because teaching is not it. The Principals are not a good fit for this age children. I have to take up for the front office girls. They are great people that have a great deal of stress put on them. I will not be letting my younger child go through this school unless major changes are made soon.
--Submitted by a parent

I am the parent of a 3rd grader at PES. When at the Primary school we had a wonderful experience from top to bottom. So much that we were very excited about going on to PES. We were rudley awakened when we arrived there. That may be the RUDEST office staff of any school in America. On several occassion while paying fees or trying to help out with class parties or field trips the office staff was very patronizing to the parents. And don't get me started on the principal, She is the rudest and most patronizing of the all of the staff. We are moving to the Pinelevel area so that we can get away from this school. If you are reading this and are contemplating a move to this area stongly consider the pine level school zone or the Daniel Pratt school Zone. Whatever avoid PES like the Plague!!!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I have been extremely displeased with PES, and my only reassurance comes in knowing that I am not the only one. I have had many issues with the school ranging from problems wiht Administrators to Office Staff and even other students. I agree with other posts about parental involvement and the absolute RUDENESS of the office staff. It is unbelievable. We have made special arrangements each year for both of our girls to attend the "downtown" Prattville schools including PKS, PPS, and PES. Because my husband is an employee, we can submit a request to have them attend these schools. We have done so because we believed in this school system. Until this year, I have always felt good about that decision even if it meant going out of our way a bit. However, I am now counting down the days until the end of the year, and next year both girls will be going to Pine Level Elementary. I have tried to get the point across that the community is very dissatisfied with the path PES is taking, but my concern was dismissed entirely. Perhaps when the school board sees that many families are choosing alternatives to PES they will take action.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the last two reviews. The school is unfriendly and, for the most part, the staff rude and unhelpful. Their attitude toward parents is patronizing, and I get the impression they look on you with suspicion. They say they want parental involvement, but their actions speak otherwise. The discipline is excessive for the offense, and their discipline policies tend to single out children. Since they did not make adequate yearly progress this year, they seem to be testing on easy reading stories and not testing on the hard ones! I want my child to get an education and not take the easy way out so they can make AYP. My child does hours of homework each night, (yes, we help him) and then his teacher doesn't even take it out of his folder - we end up throwing it away Friday night! After losing power due to a nearby tornado, the students sat in the dark several hours since the administration had no plans to contact parents to come get their children. I could go on and on. We won t be back next year. I can t urge parents strongly enough to send your child to a different school.
--Submitted by a parent

I concur with the review posted Feb 1 2011. This was our first year and thank goodness our last. I hate dropping my child off at this school and have witnessed situations with my own eyes that have startled me. I have found that condescending adult role models, unfortunately, are the norm. I rarely see positive reinforcement for good behavior and discipline consists of writing sentences. Check out the schools website. The teachers have pages but most do not keep them updated with lessons. Communication with the teachers is less than optimal.
--Submitted by a parent

I noticed that most of these reviews were older and under different administrators than the current ones. I have a special needs child and was encouraged by a previous review that stated the special education in the school was great. My experience has been quite the opposite. I have had to call IEP meetings just to get his teacher and special education teachers to follow what is in his IEP. On the whole, the school is very unfriendly and does not encourage parental involvement. It is not unusal to pass teachers and other school officials that won't respond to a smile or hello. Parents are not allowed to walk in the school during school hours pretty much at all. If you have some business to attend to you must wait in the front office and be escorted to wherever you are going. It just seems like they have something to hide. I never encountered this at the Primary or Kindergarten School. Overall it is hard to send my special needs child to a school that is so unfriendly and reluctant to work with parents. If you have a choice I would stay away from this school.
--Submitted by a parent

We are sad to be leaving this school as our daughter will be moving up to the Intermediate School. our teachers for 4th grade, Mrs. Page and Mrs. Z were fantastic and fostered learning for their students while challenging each of them. Sadly, due to the economy and financial burdens one of these 2 had their contract non renewed but feel certain that our county, which prides themselves on good teachers, will find a place for her.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is the best ever my autistic child has done awesome here and they really care about how she is doing. The teachers go the extra mile
--Submitted by a parent

I find the review about a 1st grader interesting since this school only serves 3rd and 4th graders and has never served 1st graders. My experiences with this school have been excellent. Mrs. Jackson, the principal, is a very dedicated educator who puts the needs of the students first.