Liberty Elementary School

Beware Parents! The only good reviews are submitted by teachers and staff; the ones that work for the Principal and Vice Principal. One out of hundreds of examples: The school has "uniforms" and you have to "donate" money for dress downs. Which means you pay for a dress down. Way to highlight social inequality! And: Parents are not welcome!
—Submitted by a parent

How unfortunate for you that the Principal and Vice Principal did not succumb to your every wishes. One parental complaint out of 800 students is pretty good in the educational business. It is obvious that the two adminstrators did not handle a problem with your child in a way that you saw fit-I am sure they are to blame because your child could never do anything wrong. My suggestion to you is to move your child to another school within the system. It is very easy to do in Liberty County, and wait and see if the problem re-occurs. Of course , if it does, I am sure that the Principal and AP will be to blame again because you obviously have all the answers on how to run an effective elementary school. I'm sure the Principal and Vice Principal were condescending because they are fed up dealing with ignorant parents who whine on anonymous blogs when they don't get their way!
—Submitted by a teacher

Good facility & teachers. TERRIBLE Administration. We know that GA public schools have a reputation for being sub-standard & based on that, we hesitant to send our son to LES for kindergarten. After looking into various private schools, we decided that the cost ($6000+/yr) was prohibitive & reluctantly decided to try LES. The school itself is relatively new & clean. My son's classroom teacher & most of the special activities teachers (music, AP, etc.) have been great. HOWEVER, the administration (Principal & Vice Principal) are rude & condescending. Both seem to have some kind of deep insecurity that causes them to act out in the form of ridiculous attempts at power-plays towards students, parents & staff. In any other business, their conduct would be reprimanded but, as they work primarily with children, it's disturbing. We are working very hard to minimize the amount of time my child(ren) will be attending school there.
—Submitted by a parent

Horrible administration. They like to talk down to the parents and try to make them feel as if they don't know what they are talking about. Especially the assistant principal seems to think that she is better than everybody else. She is rude and disrespectful. Since I speak up when there is a problem now my child has to pay for it by being mistreated. Plenty of teachers have their own kids there and they can do whatever they want and never get in trouble. While the other children are made out to look like bullies. They claim they want parents involved, yet when you email the teacher more than once in a day (because you forgot to write something in the first email) they tell you that you are starting to harass the teacher. Most of the teachers are good. Of course there are always some that aren't. I can't wait for us to move and my kids will finally go to a school that cares.
—Submitted by a parent

I think that the teachers and the principal Mr. Anderson are wonderful individuals, but it is sad to see the way that the Assistant Principal treats parents and students. She is extremely rude, defensive, and ignorant to say the least. She thinks that she is above the parents at this school. Both my husband and I are educated individuals and do not expect getting disregarded in the manner that she treats parents. She does not listen to what parents are trying to explain to her, she receives second hand information from her staff and does not listen to the parents. Mr Anderson, if you read these reviews, please find another assistant principal before your school fails and you have to be embassed to be the principal there. She is your employee it is time you take a stand and teach her how to respect others before the parents decide to take her attitude to the school board and then you are really embarassed. Please take note that many families feel the same way about her as my comments here today.
—Submitted by a parent

I would have to say my children have been in this school for 5 years and this is the first year I Can say I am proud of the school my special needs son FINALLYgot a teacher that expects him to learn and progress and my daughter has a fifth grade teacher who got her reading on grade level in three months when the year started she was on a third grade level! Way to LES its finally becoming a school to be apart of.
—Submitted by a parent

My son went to this school in 2007. It was the worst school I have ever seen, and I've seen alot being in the military. The children did not have any kind of recess, they were not allowed to speak even during lunch. My son never got into trouble at school, as he's a shy,quiet boy, but everyday he came home he told me he had to put his head down on his desk for long periods of time as a punishment because some of the kids in class misbehaved. My son never gave me a hard time about going to school until he started at this school. I went to the school and tried to talk to the principal, but she was never available. We moved to get out of the district. Do not send your kids to this awful school!!!
—Submitted by a parent

This school's ONLY concern is the CRCT. My daughter has no idea what she will be studying the next day because it's always some random CRCT practice sheet. My son use to LOVE going to scholl, and now he just cries every morning. THIS SCHOOL IS TERRIBLE!!! Nexy year; private school......thank God.
—Submitted by a parent

The environment is design to encourage students to aim for the highest in everything they do at this school. The teachers at this school communicated with me on a daily basis. I was given home phone numbers, emails addresses and was allowed to walk in on any given day to have an impromptu parents teachers conference. The school supports military families when they need it most, during deployments. The teachers and staff work hard to make sure they create a challenging and motivating atmosphere for all students. The school encourages parents to be involved in sports meets, talents shows, history bowls, performing arts, field trips, choir etc. I count myself lucky because of the learning experiences my sons received at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I know this school very well and the Special education class at this school is the worst. The special education children are not given the least restrictive environment and it is apparent that the teacher(s) are not highly qualified. The special ed children are ignored at this school by all teachers and administrators. It is true, there is a horrible teacher/principal relationship here and it is hard to find qualified teachers. Yes I agree that the now former principal really destroyed this school. However, I also fault the Liberty BOE and the Exceptional Child Division for letting things get this far and ignoring the situation.
—Submitted by a parent

Nope, didn't like it and don't reccommend it. Atmosphere is too tense.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great. All the teachers that my child had were great. I believe that the students are pushed into doing their best. The use of technology in the classrooms makes learning fun. My child loves going to all four resource areas at this school. I feel this will make my child well rounded. I feel that as a parent I am welcomed to come in and see how my child is doing. I really enjoy families in school day. Parents are given opportunities to be involved in what their child is learning by going to several workshops that are offered throughout the year. Unlike the other parents, I feel that Dr. Riles is doing a good job at this school. Keep it up.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former teacher at this school and the parent comment is right on. The tension so so thick and teachers are not respected. Parents need to stand up and take it to the board for the childrens sake. The teacher turnover rate is very high.
—Submitted by a teacher

I advise parents to stay away from this school. Dr. Riles is a nightmare! She does not encourage parent involvement. She doesn't seem to want parents at the school at all. That tells me there is a problem! When I asked why my child has to sit in a chair all day long, I was told that centers and recess were a waste of time. I do not believe that worksheets are constructive learning. During the time that my child was at this school, all she did was sit in her chair with a worksheet. Another problem, was the environment. It is not friendly or inviting. You can feel the tension between the principal and the teachers. If I picked up on the tension, I am sure the kids feel it to. There are several problems at this school and I believe Mrs. Riles is at the 'root' of the problems.
—Submitted by a parent