Race is not a factor in call for Thurgood Marshall principal’s removal, parents say

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

For more of your opinions, go to www.gazette.net/letters.

Ten letters

I need to comment on the story about the concerns of parents at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Gaithersburg.

I have known Mary Wilson, the principal, since we moved to the area seven years ago and enrolled my older son in the third grade. My younger son is now in the fourth grade and I have been an active classroom volunteer for these seven years and a PTA chairperson for six.

In her role as the principal of my children’s elementary school, I do not find Mrs. Wilson’s leadership to be effective and the environment and performance of the school is suffering for it. I am a member of a large diverse group of parents who are working to effect a change. Separately, we have all had issues for years and have utilized the proper channels to address them, beginning with the classroom teacher, progressing to the principal, and then on to the community superintendent. After numerous frustrating meetings, we came together as a group realizing that there were common threads in our complaints and all roads led back to the school’s administrative leadership.

From what I have witnessed in all the meetings with this group, our issues have always focused on the lack of a consistent, effective discipline policy, high staff turnover and communication with parents.

Our discussions have had nothing to do with race — hers, ours or the demographic make-up of the children at the school.

I grew up in New York City and attended public school. I value the diversity of our school and moved to this area to be sure that my children would go to schools that represented the global community, not just a slice of it.

Thurgood Marshall Elementary School was a wonderful place before and with a strong, positive principal, can most certainly be one again.

That Mrs. Wilson has chosen to misrepresent our purpose is just one more piece of evidence that she is a poor administrator. A true leader of the school and its multi-cultural community would strive to unite them rather than cause the community to split along racial lines. She is causing damage that may take years to repair. This, on top of the school’s very high staff turnover rate, very low suspension rate, and students suffering academically and socially, is just cause for the removal of the principal.

Norma Kafka, Gaithersburg

I am writing to add my voice to the chorus of parents calling for the removal of Mary Wilson as principal of Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.

My reasons for doing so are simple: my son is being subject to a substandard, inadequate and totally unacceptable elementary school experience. I say this because I saw Superintendent Jerry Weast on the May 7 edition of ‘‘Capital Sunday” on WJLA. During this broadcast, Weast agreed with the superintendents of Fairfax County, Va., and Prince George’s County that the blueprint for a successful school starts with the right principal picking the right teachers and showing them how to discipline and how to lead so that everyone at the school can be on the same page with respect to establishing high expectations and setting high standards for the school’s students.

Sadly, that value chain that Weast laid out is broken at TMES. TMES has one of the lowest teacher retention rates in the county. Quite simply, even if the right teachers are picked, they quickly realize the absence of support from the principal and administration and move on.

As a further matter, even though Principal Wilson chooses to downplay it, discipline at TMES is abysmal. The group of concerned parents who have called for her ouster have documented case upon case of disrespect, foul language, bullying and physical violence. More to the point, they have documented numerous cases where Principal Wilson’s intervention and follow up has been inadequate, untimely and⁄or completely nonexistent.

In short, the principal has wrought during her tenure at TMES both staff transiency and a cavernous disciplinary vacuum. These two factors have combined to drive the school into an ugly downward spiral where standards are low and expectations are forgone and forgotten.

My son and the 500- plus other children at TMES deserve better. They deserve Weast’s vision, and not Principal Wilson’s inability to bring that vision into being. There is nothing the principal has done as an administrator to suggest that she has within her the ability to remedy the situation at TMES. That being the case, the only alternative is her removal and replacement. Montgomery County has an obligation to the children of TMES in this regard. Having offered Weast’s vision, Montgomery County Public Schools must now install a principal at TMES who can help make that vision a reality.

Kevin Farragher, Gaithersburg

The problems with Thurgood Marshall’s administration and lack of attention from Mary Wilson dates back years. I felt I gave her a chance after moving here and being cautioned about the situation five years ago, forming my own opinion.

There has been a high turnover among teachers, and I saw her presence as more superficial than active. With young children, you need a leader who conveys concern. Show us don’t merely tell us — someone to send a congruent message with words backed up by involvement.

I sat in several meetings with Mrs. Wilson where I got the sense she went through the motions without any genuine interest. Finally, I got so frustrated with her and MCPS that I sought other alternatives for my son who had some medical and learning challenges. I’m thankful I pulled him out of MCPS.

It’s time for Jerry Weast and the school board to step in and take a position. Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results wastes everyone’s resources and our children’s education, especially.

Loriann Oberlin Laurenzano, North Potomac

The parents involved in the effort to hold the Thurgood Marshall principal accountable are among a core of the most respected in the PTA membership. They are, in my personal experience, responsible, easy-going and level-headed parents. They deserve to have their position taken seriously and not to be discounted as parental bullies or racists.

Principal Wilson’s characterization of the matter as an issue solely of racial tensions is a dangerous over-simplification and borders on race-baiting. It is disturbing to note that she may be only able to see the issues cited by this group, issues of effective administration, poor communications, an alarming increase in school violence, and a schoolwide lack of discipline, through a race-oriented filter.

Many other school communities in Montgomery County and even in the Quince Orchard Cluster have similar demographic balance; many other school communities combine residents from apartment complexes, townhouses and detached homes. In those communities, the school administrators can assure the parents that their students are safe and do so by establishing a consistent model of discipline and respect in the entire culture of their school that encourages the goals of education for their children.

TMES parents seek the same reasonable reassurance, but are instead being labeled racists by the principal and are being told that their concerns are out of proportion and are unworthy of attention.

These parents deserve to be heard, and heard in a forum that is impartial to race-baiting tactics.

Doubts that Principal Wilson can effectively administer an institution with such diversity seem well-founded. MCPS has been aware of these concerns since at least the start of the 2005 school year; countless community meetings have yielded little change. LaVerne Kimball, the community supervisor, and MCPS owe these parents a timely response to their concerns.

Paul Morrison, Gaithersburg

After reading the article in the May 10 Gazette, I came away in disbelief of the situation at the Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.

How is it that the parents’ concerns for their children can be so cavalierly treated by the school’s principal? It is her job to see to it that the school environment is conducive to learning and not a raucous place where children feel intimidated and afraid.

To play the race card in response to real concerns suggests that she should not have young children in her charge.

John Nolet, Odenton

I attended one of the parent meetings regarding the problems at TMES. At no time was the demographics of the school mentioned as a concern of the parents.

The power point presentation was the exact same one presented to Community Superintendent LaVerne Kimball at an earlier date. Nothing said that night was anything other than parent frustration due to lack of support and follow through by Principal Mary Wilson on a number of disturbing events that have occurred during this school year.

There was no bullying or intimidation, but there was concern and grief for all of the students. The parents holding the meeting made it very clear that no one was under obligation to sign the petition if they did not want to.

Ms. Wilson’s comments about a select group of parents concerned about the changing demographics of Thurgood Marshall is just a red herring.

Micki Palmer, Gaithersburg

This letter is in response to the May 10 article on the movement to replace the TMES principal. In the article, Principal Wilson, states that the only bullies at Thurgood Marshall are parents who demand that measures be taken to protect their children from bullying and other forms of harassment in school.

Apart from concerned parents, who she calls bullies, she denies the existence of a bullying problem at this school. Community Superintendent LaVerne Kimball seeks to assure the community that the problem is not escalating. Our son begs to differ with their assessment of the situation. He recently was subjected to several instances of bullying, and — following Mrs. Wilson’s and Dr. Kimball’s denials of an escalating violence problem — he was violently assaulted by several other students on the playground.

Mrs. Wilson’s refusal to even acknowledge the existence of the problem has created an environment in this school in which harassment and bullying are commonplace and even considered acceptable. Laws protect adults from such treatment in the workplace, but Mrs. Wilson has treated the children entrusted to her care at Thurgood Marshall as if they aren’t entitled to basic human rights, such as the right to be educated in an environment free from verbal, physical and other forms of harassment.

Mrs. Wilson’s approach to this problem, as she stated so clearly in the article, is (1) to deny that it exists, (2) to turn hostile against concerned parents and (3) to resort to name-calling.

In this situation, the school system has failed to fulfill its obligation to protect the children entrusted to its care from bullying and all forms of harassment. The Thurgood Marshall community is populated with good students, good families and excellent teachers. The only thing keeping Thurgood Marshall from being a model of civility and educational excellence is the longstanding leadership vacuum.

As parents who are deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of all the children while in school, and as human beings with human rights, we respectfully request that Mrs. Wilson be replaced with a principal who cares about the well-being of the school children and who is competent to take the steps necessary to protect them.

Curtis and Linda Pett, North Potomac

As a parent and educator, the only thing that comes to mind when trying to describe TMES is ‘‘sad.”

Currently, our children must attend a school where the leadership is lacking. Students, parents and teachers look to the top for guidance, strength and leadership — things they do not receive it at TMES. This is sad.

Teachers are asked to perform their daily lesson plans in the hopes of preparing their students for annual state assessments, and expect leadership that is understanding and supportive of their cause. Instead they are met with an administration that seems more focused on the politics of the position and not the position itself. Teachers are not given adequate support and guidance from the administration. This is sad.

Students try to attend classes and receive a quality education, one that will prepare them for middle school, then high school, and then the real world. What really happens is that some students cause disruptions in the classroom, in other areas of the building, or outside during recess. Instead of being properly reprimanded by the administration, issues are swept under the proverbial rug in the hopes that it will all go away. This is sad.

Members of the staff leave for extended periods of time and others are hired to replace them. When these new members are not up to the standards expected of the school and county, others are brought in but only after an extended dialogue with numerous parents and members of the TMES community. This is sad.

When important decisions are being made or communication is desperately needed between the school and the TMES community, one would expect phone calls, e-mails or sealed letters sent home to parents and guardians. What we get instead are open letters in backpacks, or even worse, staff members sharing the news directly in class because the administration does not follow specific guidelines in how to share news with families. This is sad.

Parents receive news that TMES has met AYP again this year but what they do not hear is that the scores are lower as compared to some other schools in the cluster and have dropped off from previous years. This is sad.

Gaithersburg has been touted as one of the top 10 cities in the country and one of the reasons for it is its diversity. Gaithersburg has been recognized for this and applauded while also acknowledging its demographics as something positive about the city. The principal has tried to make the issues of the school one of demographics and has gone so far as to use school resources to do it. This is sad.

Our community has reached the point where we are arguing with each other. Adults say and write things about each other and the school and in some cases do so without the correct data in front of them. They do it for spite, or what they believe to be a defense mechanism. Principal Wilson has even been quoted as saying that ‘‘we are a small group” and ‘‘that we use bullying tactics.” Over 125 people attended informational meetings held by the community. This could be deemed small if not for the fact that it represents over 25 percent of the TMES families. The only tactic we use is something called the truth. This is sad.

The school needs a change. The gray clouds that hover over the school need to give way to bright sunshine. What we need is the laughter and the smiles of students, parents and staff working together all for the greater good of the community. If Mary Wilson remains in her post as principal of TMES it will not be in the best interest of the parents and children who are currently enrolled, nor the future students and parents that will be part of the TMES community. If she stays it will be sad.

Aaron and Stephanie Schneider, Gaithersburg

I am a parent of two students at TMES and they are not getting the education they deserve because of the school’s principal, Mary Wilson.

I am fortunate that my children have not been beaten up or assaulted like so many other kids have, but the fact that this bullying behavior continues on a daily basis just shows that Mrs. Wilson is not doing her job.

Kids need discipline, guidance and rules and they’re not getting that at TMES.

We are not a small group — 336 signatures were collected on a petition to replace the principal. No one was forced to sign; it was all voluntary.

Mrs. Wilson likes to call us a small group of parents whose only concern is the changing demographics of the school because she doesn’t want to deal with the real issues. The fact is the demographics of the school have not changed that much over the years. But she would like people to believe that skin color is motivating these parents rather than her lack of communication, her lack of leadership, her lack of support and development of her staff and the abysmal discipline policy in the school.

All students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School would benefit if Mary Wilson were replaced by a competent, qualified principal.

Sharon Cole, North Potomac

Based upon a disturbing conversation I had with a close friend whose children attend Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, it is my deep conviction that the principal at that school should be immediately replaced.

My friend’s son sustained injuries from an attack on the playground last week and the offense was basically overlooked. This is not a safe environment in which children can learn and flourish.

My child attends another school in the county where such problems would be dealt with very strongly. I would not send my child to Thurgood Marshall and feel very strongly this matter needs to be dealt with quickly.

Sonja Conley, Darnestown