Those of you who were here for the last 2 years probably remember my descriptions of the horrible principal at that school. Just as was discussed up thread it was all about control. Oppressive, controlling and incompetent. She was finally removed at the end of last year (who knows - maybe my Dept. of Ed complaint could have had a little something to do with that...) and I have been told the replacement is as opposite as possible. It will take a while to remove all the toxic culture she left behind but many families are breathing a sigh of relief.

And sadly no it didn't really serve any purpose except to feed this horrible woman's need for control. Every article I have read about creating a positive school culture talks about the importance of an open environment and treating parents as partners in their children's educations. I guess that's the most common denominator here among parents who are unhappy with their child's school situation. If parents and kids feel disrespected - or worse like the enemy - it's not surprising animosity develops and our outside the box kids don't get their needs met.