Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Longtime Lab parent here. Lab has been mostly positive as far as academics go. Our child has Executive functioning issues and ADHD, too. Small classes are the key. The intermediate division head is outstanding, caring and responsive. The lower school is terrific, too.
Things go down hill as you enter Jr high. There are some outstanding instructors but a few are merely mediocre.
The social situation/ bulling at Lab is terrible. It escalates around 6th. I have two children in other local privates; Every school has bullying and social cruelty but Lab's the most severe, by far. The admin preaches diversity and acceptance but there is something fundamentally wrong at Lab. A great deal of cruel behavior is ignored or swept under the carpet. So much for equity, diversity and acceptance. You'd think that a school dedicated to appreciating "differences" wouldn't tolerate abusive conduct. Our child mostly blends in but is a witness to daily acts of cruelty towards others. It's difficult to stand up to bullies when each grade tops off around 35 kids and you fear retribution. My child has an underlying dread each day, wondering "will I be the next target?". The halls echo with the words "queer", "bitch", "slut", "fag", "fat slob", "retard" etc. The nastiness extends after school hours on social media. Lab has a policy about conduct on social media but Lab kids use fake names on social media accounts. That and obvious exclusion tactics to exact their ill will. My child reports that many of the nicer kids adopt an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" stance to avoid being the next target. It's survival. Asking my child about their day is depressing as it is peppered with awful stories. I can't imagine how some of these poor kids walk into that building each day! I cringe when I see my kid's Lab "friends" on social media ( you need to monitor so you can help your child deal with all the (obvious and passive aggressive) negativity & X rated content). The girls are worse than the boys.

Maybe kids with learning disabilities feel so badly about a perception of themselves "being lesser" or they are embarrassed to be in a "special" school. Maybe they have the need to knock others down in order to make themselves feel better. Whatever it is, these kids are some of the most aggressive bullies we've ever experienced.

I think you live in a bubble and an axe to grind against Lab.

Anonymous wrote:5th is a good year at Lab. Small classes, solid teachers and a strong admin in Intermediate. Not sure of the admission rate but I suspect many kids transitioning out around middle schools.
Jr. High at Lab gets treacherous. Hormones and kids with ADD/ADHD lends to a less than positive environment. That coupled with a lack of control by Jr. High admin is something to consider.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Longtime Lab parent here. Lab has been mostly positive as far as academics go. Our child has Executive functioning issues and ADHD, too. Small classes are the key. The intermediate division head is outstanding, caring and responsive. The lower school is terrific, too.
Things go down hill as you enter Jr high. There are some outstanding instructors but a few are merely mediocre.
The social situation/ bulling at Lab is terrible. It escalates around 6th. I have two children in other local privates; Every school has bullying and social cruelty but Lab's the most severe, by far. The admin preaches diversity and acceptance but there is something fundamentally wrong at Lab. A great deal of cruel behavior is ignored or swept under the carpet. So much for equity, diversity and acceptance. You'd think that a school dedicated to appreciating "differences" wouldn't tolerate abusive conduct. Our child mostly blends in but is a witness to daily acts of cruelty towards others. It's difficult to stand up to bullies when each grade tops off around 35 kids and you fear retribution. My child has an underlying dread each day, wondering "will I be the next target?". The halls echo with the words "queer", "bitch", "slut", "fag", "fat slob", "retard" etc. The nastiness extends after school hours on social media. Lab has a policy about conduct on social media but Lab kids use fake names on social media accounts. That and obvious exclusion tactics to exact their ill will. My child reports that many of the nicer kids adopt an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" stance to avoid being the next target. It's survival. Asking my child about their day is depressing as it is peppered with awful stories. I can't imagine how some of these poor kids walk into that building each day! I cringe when I see my kid's Lab "friends" on social media ( you need to monitor so you can help your child deal with all the (obvious and passive aggressive) negativity & X rated content). The girls are worse than the boys.
Maybe kids with learning disabilities feel so badly about a perception of themselves "being lesser" or they are embarrassed to be in a "special" school. Maybe they have the need to knock others down in order to make themselves feel better. Whatever it is, these kids are some of the most aggressive bullies we've ever experienced.

Why don't you put your name on this and sent it to the lab school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - wow, this was not what I was expecting. I know there is bullying everywhere but it sounds like that aspect is worth looking into before we seriously consider it. Any thoughts on the academics? Has it made a difference for your child?

OP, as a Lab parent, I think this poster's characterization of bullying at Lab as extremely overblown. I'm sure bullying goes on at every school, however intermediate and h.s. kids are in the same building as junior high kids. The insults "echoing through the hallways" does not happen b/c all the parents would be aware of it. Also, if you search the archives for this forum, there is a poster who consistently posts on this even going so far as to alluding to some female students as being mentally ill. So I would take it with a grain of salt.

Tour the school. You'll see for yourself.

We left Lab a couple years back because there WAS a handful of Jr High girls who had severe psychological issues. I'm not alluding, I'm stating fact. Multiple families met, on several occasions, with the administration and head of school but no solution was ever adopted. Schools can't expell a child because of Mental illness. Fair enough. A few of the students were put on hiatus to receive inpatient and outpatient services for their illness. Cutting and constant talk of death/suicide not only distracted our daughter, but it depressed her. Our daughter definately suffered. Her anxiety sckyrocketed, she started having nightmares and would often play sick because she was so uncomfortable at school. She simply could not process the situation.
We instructed our daughter to stay clear but that is easier said than done in a class of 35-40 students. A bad situation for everyone. We chose to cut our losses and change schools again (ugh).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - wow, this was not what I was expecting. I know there is bullying everywhere but it sounds like that aspect is worth looking into before we seriously consider it. Any thoughts on the academics? Has it made a difference for your child?

OP, as a Lab parent, I think this poster's characterization of bullying at Lab as extremely overblown. I'm sure bullying goes on at every school, however intermediate and h.s. kids are in the same building as junior high kids. The insults "echoing through the hallways" does not happen b/c all the parents would be aware of it. Also, if you search the archives for this forum, there is a poster who consistently posts on this even going so far as to alluding to some female students as being mentally ill. So I would take it with a grain of salt.

Tour the school. You'll see for yourself.