Educational Networks

⭐ Extremely Disappointing Experience – Parents Deserve More Understanding and Respect I rarely write reviews like this, but after multiple frustrating experiences with Henderson Hammock Charter School, I feel that I need to share what I have experienced as a parent. Unfortunately, this has been one of the most difficult and disappointing schools I have ever had to deal with. My son remains at this school because we share custody and his father does not agree to changing schools. Otherwise, based on my personal experiences, I would absolutely be looking for another option. My son is not a child who regularly misses school or arrives late when he is with me. I take his education and attendance seriously. I organize my work and responsibilities around his school schedule, and I do everything I can to make sure he is in school every day. That is exactly why what happened today was so upsetting. My dog, Gucci, is currently paralyzed in his back legs because of a serious spinal condition. He cannot walk normally and requires assistance with almost everything. Most importantly, he has difficulty urinating on his own and needs our physical assistance to empty his bladder. His care right now is extremely demanding, and there are things that simply cannot be postponed because his health depends on them. Today, Gucci was scheduled for a surgical procedure at 2:00 p.m. This was not a casual appointment or something I could simply reschedule because it was inconvenient. I was already at the school because I had gone there to take care of paperwork related to transportation for my son. I arrived around 12:49 p.m. and asked to pick my son up early so that I could get home in time for Gucci’s procedure. I even showed them proof of the scheduled procedure. To my surprise, I was told that because the appointment was not for my son, they would not release him to me. That response was extremely upsetting. The fact that the medical emergency involved my dog instead of my child does not mean that it was not a legitimate family emergency. Gucci is currently paraplegic. He depends on us for his basic needs, including something as fundamental as being able to urinate. He needs help with almost everything, and now he needs surgery. I could have simply kept my son home from school for the entire day because I already knew I had to deal with Gucci’s medical situation. But I did not do that. Why? Because I care about my son’s education and attendance. I made the effort to take him to school so that he would not unnecessarily miss an entire day. All I was asking was to pick him up approximately one hour early so that I could handle a serious situation at home. Instead of recognizing that I was actually trying to do the responsible thing by sending my son to school for as much of the day as possible, I was treated as though my reason was not important enough because the appointment was for my dog. Sadly, this is not the first time something like this has happened. On another occasion, I had recently undergone surgery myself. I was physically recovering, had medical drains/tubes attached to my body, could not drive, and did not have anyone available to help me. I had to pay for an Uber just to get to the school because I needed to pick up my son early. Even seeing the physical condition I was in, the process was incredibly difficult. I became extremely stressed and emotional, and only after I was brought to tears was I finally able to leave with my son. Today, while I was trying to explain that I do not have family nearby to help me and that I am doing everything I can to balance my work, my child, transportation, and now the intensive care of a paraplegic dog, a staff member actually pointed out that this was the second time I had cried in front of them. Yes. It was the second time. And that is exactly the problem. I do not regularly go to this school asking to take my son out early. These were two exceptional situations in which I genuinely needed some understanding and flexibility. And on BOTH occasions, dealing with the school became so stressful that I ended up crying. Instead of pointing out that a mother has cried twice, perhaps the better question would be: “Why has this mother been brought to tears during the only two occasions when she came to us asking for help or flexibility?” There is also the issue of after-school care. When you are a working parent without family nearby, after-school care is not simply a convenience. It can be the difference between being able to work and not being able to work. I tried multiple times to find out how to register my son for the school’s after-school program. I went to the school and was told that I needed to wait until Open House to register. I waited and followed those instructions. Then, when the time came, I discovered that there were no spaces available. So what exactly is a working parent supposed to do? You cannot get a spot in after-school care. You try to arrange transportation. You explain that you do not have family nearby who can simply pick up your child whenever necessary. And then, on one of the extremely rare occasions when you need to pick up your own child early because you have a genuine family emergency, you encounter another rigid process with seemingly no consideration for individual circumstances. I understand that schools need policies. I understand that attendance matters. I understand that procedures exist for safety and organization. But policies should not eliminate basic common sense, compassion, communication, and the ability to recognize exceptional circumstances. There is a huge difference between a parent who constantly removes a child from school unnecessarily and a parent whose child attends consistently and who is asking for flexibility because of a legitimate, unusual situation. Parents should feel that their child’s school is willing to work WITH them. They should not feel powerless, humiliated, judge

This school honestly sucks, they don’t have sports nor band for the kids … nor a proper graduation for the 8th,5th graders nor pre-k or kindergartens!! They don’t care about your kids!!! They done lost a child already THIS YEAR!! A sub done came drunk and more !! They let my child walk with other students that’s off the school yard with students that’s not his brothers !! This school is not a pick! Honestly!! My child been bullied 6th and 7th grade and they will say we will set up a meeting with other parents and never do!! Put ur child at a different school!!