Email from Frost Principal
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Anonymous
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A message from FROST MS Hello Frost Families, As many of you know, middle school is a time of transition for our students (and parents). For years it has been a “rite of passage” for Frost students to walk over to Fair City Mall after school (rather than go home) to get something to eat, shop, and hang out with friends. This is particularly prevalent on Friday afternoons. Over the years, some students have engaged in inappropriate behavior at the mall resulting in relatively serious consequences. Recently, we have had large numbers of students heading there on Friday afternoons, and occasionally during the week. This dynamic has led to some unfortunate incidents taking place at the mall. It is perfectly understandable for our students to want a little more freedom as they enter their teenage years. Letting them have more freedom to make good decisions and choices is important. However, because they are adolescents they are still prone to making poor decisions, particularly when they are caught up in the excitement of being in a larger group of their peers in a completely unstructured/unsupervised setting. As Dr. Carl E Pickhardt states in his article Parental Adjustments to the Adolescent’s “Family” of Friends, “What one would not dare to try alone, one is willing to try in the company of friends.” Please talk to your child about your expectations for their behavior and actions once school is over each and every day. We cannot demand that our students get on the bus or walk straight home after school. This expectation must come from you as their parent/guardian. If you decide that it is acceptable for your child to travel to the mall, please know that they will be unsupervised for an extended period of time. Please know that if a Frost student leaves after school to go to the mall (or anywhere else for that matter), they may not return to school to participate in the after school program or take the late bus home. While schools do not control or police inappropriate/illegal behavior in the community once school is over, it is not uncommon for these situations to have an impact in the school. I share this with you because we care about the health, safety, and well-being of our students. Maintaining a safe, positive, calm, and welcoming culture/atmosphere here at Frost is vital to the academic success and emotional well-being of our students. While we will continue to teach our students the importance of ethical and responsible behavior, there is no one more important in our student’s lives than their parents. As always, I appreciate your help and support. Eric McCann Principal Frost Middle School |
Anonymous
| And??? |
Anonymous
| Why isn't this kind of correspondence being sent out to parents of kids running wild in the district? |
Anonymous
| Makes sense to me. They leave school, they can't come back that day. |
Anonymous
| What's the point of this post? Seems very reasonable. |
Anonymous
| Seems like a smart principal |
Anonymous
| Parents need to make sure their kids are home after school and not "hanging out". |
Anonymous
| The antics of the few spoil it for the many. |
Anonymous
| I used to hang out at the mall in junior high ... And then I graduated to hanging out in a coffee shop in hs. Guess what, I have and Ivy degree and pay my taxes! It seems like some people believe teens shouldn't have a social life. |
Anonymous
I doubt the letter would have been sent if all the kids were politely sipping sodas in the food court. |
Anonymous
| Sounds reasonable to me. If you want your kid to go to the mall, you are responsible for their behavior and getting them home. |
Anonymous
ITA. This was a well written and reasonable note from the principal. Undoubtedly, the school has received complaints from merchants at the mall and has experienced students coming back to campus to try and take the late bus home. She is simply letting parents know that they need to step up and take responsibility for their children. |
Anonymous
You are completely missing the point. It's fine if they hang out and have a social life. It's not fine if they behave poorly and get into serious trouble. Your job, as a parent (if you are one), is to set expectations for your children's behavior and know where they are and what they're doing. You're either obtuse, despite your tax-paying, Ivy League status, or you're purposefully not getting it for whatever reason. |
Anonymous
What makes you think it isn't? |
Anonymous
+1, it was this way at my private schools growing up as well. |