Reply to Franklin Montessori student age 3 left in Forest Hills Park by teachers today

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi Everyone -  We are planning to send our child to Franklin Montessori.  We are very, very concerned about this report.  We've talked to several current parents who say that the child was left in the park for "just a few minutes" and the school Director ran to get her.  The latter tracks with what is written here but the former does not - was it "just a few minutes" or the hour that OP describes.  Did the school know she was missing, or is it only due to the OP calling the school?

Also unclear to us is why the school's Director goes personally to the park on Chesapeake street whenever kids play there?  This was reported earlier in this string?  Wouldn't she delegate this?

What are the procedures in place for taking kids to the park and into Rock Creek?  Are there any anticipated changes?

Does this have to do with the student-teacher ratio?  (Fully understanding that Montessori ratios are different from other daycares.)

Or a function of tired staff at the end of the day, as another poster suggested?

These are not meant to be rhetorical or annoying questions.  We're trying to cut through any disinformation and better understand what happened, and how the school is managed.  We really appreciate the OP telling the community about this incident, and we equally appreciate the perspective of the current parents we spoke with.

I'm not really sure how people can PM or share what they know directly with us (everything is anonymous here so not sure how it works), but if anyone with firsthand knowledge of the situation - either as witnesses at the park, or as current parents, can share here or otherwsie, we would be grateful.[/quote]

Our child attends Franklin.  No, it's not the nightmare school some try to make it out to be.  Every teacher (minus perhaps one) is exceptional.  The woods program is fabulous.  The drama program is fabulous.  The art program (which involves repainting an entire studio a number of times per year to fit with the particular artist the kids are studying) is fabulous.  The indoor gym is large and perfect for bitter cold days.  But yes, the outdoor playground is too small, which is why many of us - kids included - like the idea of heading over to the local park.  The problem with doing so is that (1) the aftercare staff are not as qualified/exceptional as the teachers, (2) the park is big and a large number of kids go together after official school hours, and (3) some kids get picked up at the park, creating more room for error in maintaining attendance lists.  We all thought having the Director go with the kids to the park would make the safety procedures air tight.  We were wrong.  Would I recommend you send your child to Franklin?  A few days ago I would have said absolutely.  But after a second incident, I'm not so sure.  My recommendation would be that you request that they open up the Monday night parents session with the Director and the owners to prospective parents so you can hear about new changes/policies.  Honestly, we don't know how the school will handle this going forward other than to stop going to the park.  You should push them for consultations on this particular issue before you commit.      [/quote]

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