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Highlands Today

Parent Faults School In Repeating Mistake

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: November 19, 2007

AVON PARK — Riding the school bus home, a 5-year-old kindergartner cried when his mother wasn't home one day to greet him.

The boy should have been at his school's after-school program, but was sent home on a school bus.

Fortunately, a stay-at-home neighbor spotted the child and notified his mother.

But about a month later it happened again; the kindergartner was bused home when he should have remained at school. Once again the neighbor took the child in.

A call to the school district resulted in a "lackadaisical" response, according to Stacy Sorton, whose son attends Avon Elementary School.

Sorton said a school dean asked if her son knew his schedule.

"I informed him that he did, but since when is it the responsibly of a 5-year-old to tell an adult what they are to do; especially when the adult has been put there to supervise, instruct and educated these children?"

The school offered no good explanation other than it was a substitute teacher – both times, Sorton said.

A list with all 18 students in large letters is located near the door to her son's classroom, which states where the student is supposed to go each day, she said.

Sorton informed the school at the beginning of the school year that her son would attend the after-school program on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Her son would ride the school bus home on Thursdays and Fridays.

Avon Elementary Principal Pam Burnham said, in kindergarten classes, there is list of where students go after school on the classroom door. Unless the parent calls or sends a note that morning, the child goes whichever way the parent has requested, that's the policy.

Are substitute teachers informed to check the list?

"Well, different teachers have it in different places and substitutes go into different classes every day so it's very hard for a sub to walk in and know the exact procedure of every classroom that they might go in," she said.

Substitute teachers are contacted about daily job openings by an automated phone system.

"I speak to the subs and talk to the subs ... and any kind of conflicts or problems we have we try to work things like that out," Burnham said.

She was not at liberty to say whether or not the substitute teachers in the instances were reprimanded in any way, Burnham said.

Prior to this school year, substitute teachers were given a half day of orientation and a half day of training before they were assigned to cover an absent teacher's classroom. This year the training has been expanded to a full day.

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