Mountain View Elementary School

Students who are being disciplined for misbehavior are made to sit out their lunch recess. Not sure if it's still called "The Desert" or not, but IMO this is an appropriate disciplinary measure for misbehaving students.
—Submitted by a parent

Question...I was reading about "the desert" back in 2011. Is this still being practiced? Im looking at buying a house and deciding between Copperas Cove and Harker Heights....If such a thing is being done at this school it'll make my decision easier. Thank you

love love love our school. Teachers are excellent, the staff really does care for the kiddos! Parent involvement is encouraged.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been a part of the Mountain View Family for 7 years. My oldest son went Kindergarten - 5th grade here and my youngest, 1st-3rd. It has been a positive experience all the way. This is a very community-oriented school. The teachers are committed, open, and genuinely care for their students. The office staff is helpful and friendly, the administration is visible and engaged, the PTA is positive and involved. My kids LOVED Chess Club and after-school Orchestra. We have been very happy with our experience here. After reading the previous comments, to clarify ... the 'desert' is simply another word for 'timeout' at recess. I have experienced every grade level at this school and (for my kids) 5th grade was the only grade to use that term. It just means the kids lost some recess time. My 5th grader spent some time in 'the desert' ... and was not scarred by the event. He just realized that he needed to modify his behavior to enjoy all of recess each day.
—Submitted by a parent

I am surprised to see so much traffic about the desert practice. My oldest, now in 6th grade across the street, was in the desert about 3-4 times in 2 years. My younger two, both in 2nd, stated that 1 had NEVER been there and the other, only ONCE. Are we really going to get excited over our children being safely disciplined by the school? It's not corporal punishment, its a LOSS of privilege. Its a temporary behavior modification. I cannot imagine spending so much energy worrying about a simple discipline issue. If you don't want your child to lose privileges (play time), then you had better come up with a solution that meets your wishes. I am not saying my kids are perfect, but I am saying that unless I want to do recess duty EVERY day, when my child isn't playing fairly, or acts up, then YES they should lose out on the rest of recess. To me this is a MINOR issue. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We still have EXCELLENT staff, teachers and the BEST PTA hands down!!
—Submitted by a parent

Amen! And thank you for posting. I completely agree! And to the person who posted in August, i think the best person to direct your concerns to would be the principal of the school. I am certain she would be able to answer your questions or address your concerns as needed. I truly believe that the fifth grade teachers are excellent and have only the best instrests of their students and the school at heart.
—Submitted by a parent

So this is seriously practiced? I was hoping this was a hoax. How do I find out more about this and STOP IT now! This is insane and I will pull my children out of this school ASAP if this really happens.
—Submitted by a parent

OK lets be honest about the "desert". Unless the ground is muddy they stand in the dirt between the cars and the play area, without an option to be in the shade and they all STAND not sit facing the parking lot. If they are not in the "desert" they can go to the covered pavilion for shade. I have seen up to 40 kids standing in the desert for whatever punishment, now tell me that this is effective? How is this different than the corporal punishment that Texas has banned now? As we all know the Texas sun and heat can be very damaging. Maybe they should try other tactics for punishment since clearly this does not work as there are ALWAYS kids in the desert.
—Submitted by a parent

Can somebody please clarify this "DESERT" business?? I will not stand for that and need to make a decision on where my children will attend school. That is absolutely unacceptable. We come from DODEA schools where the Army Post has power to control issues like this... help please.

Academically I think the school goes above and beyond to reach the needs of my children. However, recently I walked passed a class and overheard a teacher yelling at her class that they were going to stand in a desert. I learn that they make kids stand in the sun facing the parking lot in the heat as a punishment. How is this any different than a dunce cap in a corner? For this I am grateful that we won't be here long enough for my kids to have to go through that. That's embarrassing and degrading.
—Submitted by a parent

Military family, 3 years with this school. My son entered into 5th grade coming from an out of state school on an ILP. It didn't transfer here and I was nervous. His teacher was a miracle worker who gave him a love of reading and an attitude towards testing that launched him out of the box he had been placed in. My daughter, who is advanced, was placed in a cluster class and loves it. What impresses me most is the over all character they recognize and develop in the kids. They have community programs that encourage the kids to think of others and teach them that they can help and are important. I LOVE this school.
—Submitted by a parent

We spent 2 school years at Mt View...when we left this last April, I had a 3rd Grader, 1st Grader and Preschooler. I cannot say enough about the quality of this school! It takes leaving a place to really appreciate it, I think. My first two children were TAG identified, and they were pushed to their potential. I thought that moving to a Metropolitan area would put them at a disadvantage, but my kids were far ahead of their classmates when they enrolled. Being an involved parent makes a huge difference, in my opinion! I always felt in the loop, and felt I had a voice. No school is perfect, but this school has been nurturing, encouraging, and motivating despite a rough duty station (deployment of a parent). Counselors are phenomenal!
—Submitted by a parent

Mountain View Elementary School cares very much about each and every student. This is Pre-K through 6th Grade. They go beyond the call of duty to help each student, as if that was there only student. This is from the Principal to the Custodians. Mountain View Elementary School has a great reputation of being one of the best school in the Killeen ISD.
—Submitted by Lynda, a parent

At present, we have a 3rd and a 1st grader enrolled at Mountain View. My eldest has been a lion for four years. We love this school Every teacher we have had has been wonderful to work with and has truly gotten to know their learning style. They maintain high behaviorial standards. It is a nice size school, not too big. Whenever I have had concerns, the teachers and administraion have heard me and we've resolved the issue. In pariticular, my eldest has dyslexia. The understanding and program that Mtn View has given her has been outstanding. ONce Identified as dyslexic, and enrolled in the program her reading has gone from weak to proficient within six months. If i could, I would take this school with me to our next duty station.
—Submitted by a parent

a great school! it is a smaller and more traditional school. nothing fancy or big about it. thats what I love about it.
—Submitted by a parent

Moutain is located in a great community. I currently have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader who attendened Mt. View. Both my children have been their since pre-k. The staff at Mt. View are great, they are dedicated to the education of every child. It is among the few public schools in Texas to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 8 out of 10. Just last school year parents voulenteered 3000 hours of their time; in helping the students reading groups, school activites, class room / teacher help and field trips. The Mt. View Community is great and we all dedicate all we can in making our school the best in the KISDistrict. I'm a proud parent of two Mt. Lions.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended PPCD here for a short time before moving districts. Had a wonderful experience. The teacher was very good at handling him and his needs and the other classmates. I felt very involved and they had very good communication. They put all my concerns about my child at ease when needed.
—Submitted by a parent

School is starting in a few weeks and I am very concerned about this school. The teachers here are terrific, and they really care about their students. However, the administration does not show the same interest in the children as the teachers do. Safety here is not the greatest, bullying by students is high, and often parent concerns are brushed off. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that anything will change, at least not until they get a new principal, and vice principals. As a parent, be over vigilant because no one else will be.
—Submitted by a parent

I must admit I am very disappointed in this school. When we were stationed here four years ago, the principal was approachable, and had a genuine care and concern for the school. That is not evident under the new regime. When you walk through the doors, no longer is there a friendly feeling.....I see stressed out people running all over the place, and children who are afriad of being yelled at. Had I known things would have changed so much in so short a time, I would have moved to a different neighborhood, probably the one where Mr. Coleman is now. Parents beware, KISD please notice---this school used to be fantastic.
—Submitted by a parent

Wow!! Awesome Kindergarten Graduation today!! The songs were wonderful & my child so proud & excited!!! We truly appreciate the teachers who worked so hard with the students, the instructional assistants who work with them, the Specials teachers who build their skills, & the administration who is so supportive of Learning at Mt. View! Hats off to Mrs. Atkisson, Ms. Diaz, Mrs. Rich, Mrs. Skidmore, Mrs. Teston, Mrs. Gullekson, Ms. Tucker, Mrs. Frierson, Mrs. Polson, & Mrs. Varljen! What a wonderful day & year!!
—Submitted by a parent