Once upon a time, Sunrise Middle School had such a good reputation that some parents considered it better than private school. It is the only middle school around with a Montessori program. It has a gifted program. There's an accelerated group called the "Golden Hammers" (like other school groups, it's named after a bird). The seventh grade math class was just as hard as the ninth grade class at St. Thomas Aquinas, one mom said.
These days, there's either some serious chaos going on, or the rumor mill has gotten out of control.
Students at Sunrise began this school year with their longtime principal, Rebecca Dahl. She was soon replaced -- the rumor among some parents is that Dahl was forced into retirement -- and Oslay Gil, an award-winning administrator from Margate, took over. When he was accused of sexual harassment by a teacher in February, Sandra Shipman stepped in as interim principal.
That's just a smidgen of the turmoil.
In January, a substitute teacher was charged with felony battery for
pushing a child who hit his head on a TV. Lately, parents have heard
about middle-schoolers smoking pot. There has been talk of a stabbing.
The latest buzz is that some kids were caught mixing cocktails in a
school bathroom.
About two weeks ago, language arts teacher
Paula Johnson was banished from her classroom. A longtime friend of
Johnson's, Wendy Frank, whose children used to attend Sunrise, sent out
an e-mail to parents that read, "Paula was removed from her classroom
very suddenly last week. The School Board has told Paula that she is
being investigated for inappropriate conduct and, allegedly, use of
profanity. She was forbidden by the School system to talk about the
matter with any witnesses or she would face charges of insubordination.
She does not know who the witnesses are or what the charges are. She
has been advised by an attorney that she can't reach out to the
parents."
Neither Johnson's lawyer nor school officials could
be reached after hours Friday.Carmela Rosenthal, whose children had
Johnson as a teacher for five years combined, says Johnson "was a great
teacher. I can't even imagine what they could accuse her of."
Parents
say they are upset about the decline in behavior, the alleged
incidents, and perhaps most of all, the lack of transparency at the
school. Frank points out the trouble with anonymous accusations:
"Whether he's guilty or innocent, Mr. Gil has been accused of something
that will ruin his life." Multiple parents have said that when they
write to the School Board to get information, they receive only a form
letter in response.
Trish Halliday, whose daughter is in
seventh grade at Sunrise, has a more specific concern: "The fact that
they took [Ms. Johnson] out of her class during the FCAT is just
appalling to me." She adds sadly, "The school seems to have lost its
way."
The hubub has caused parents to rise up. They have
demanded a meeting Monday night at 6:30 p.m. in the school's media
center. Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter and School Board
Member Maureen Dinnen are expected to attend.
