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Community Corner

No More Fear In Rye!!!!!

As members of the Rye High School community, we have an interest in seeing the school run in the best possible manner.  Over the past few months, a great number of issues have been brought to our attention by our friends on the faculty and we feel that it is important that we share them with the general public, the school board and the superintendent.  Given that this is Principal Taylor’s tenure year, we think that it is wise that these problems be brought to light so the most informed decision can be made. 

 

  • 3 talented and competent assistant principals have left within the last two years to take jobs that were not steps up. 
  • The most recently hired assistant principal was brought on without any input from the community or the staff.  He has no experience teaching at the secondary level or in New York State.  He is a friend of Principal Taylor’s husband.
  • Mrs. Taylor doesn’t have any teaching experience and hasn’t pursued advanced degrees in education.  These are important qualities for someone who is the educational leader of a high school.
  • Our children don’t particularly like or trust her.  They find her to be fake and dismissive.  Their opinion doesn’t count for everything, but it should count for something.
  • She wanted to drop all underclassmen from the final awards assembly last year.  In order to change her mind it took the students explaining to her that they love the assemblies and they are important for school-wide spirit and morale.  Shouldn’t the principal know this already?
  • She has bullied teachers, spoken down to colleagues, and mistreated people who work for her.
  • She lied to a teacher and told him the board of education voted to reduce his theater classes.  According to the superintendent, the vote never happened.  Additionally, she told the teacher his class of 19 students couldn’t run.  The superintendent confirmed that Mrs. Taylor told him there were 13, not 19 students signed up for the course.  The superintendent informed the teacher that 15 students would have sufficed.  As a result, that teacher resigned from the theatre program.
  • Mrs. Taylor is the head of the guidance department.  Why wasn’t this communicated to us?  Why did the previous two heads leave after just one year?  Are we to believe that anyone can do both jobs at a high level?
  • As the head of guidance, Mrs. Taylor took children of board members into her case load.  Why should certain students get special treatment?
  • During the 2012 Halloween activities for the seniors, the children left the school for two periods during the middle of the day to change outfits.  Some of the students came back intoxicated.  We were never informed that our children would be let out of school for a period of time.  Mrs. Taylor decided to leave those students on National Honor Society because she said there were enough problems with the hazing incident.  When she called the students in to talk to them she said, “Why did you do this to me?”  Rather then address their behavior and counsel them, she made it about her.
  • She has endangered the safety of all of the students and faculty by not presenting a clear and logical evacuation plan in the case of a school emergency.  After a bungled Faculty Meeting, when conflicting information was disseminated, she refused to clarify the plan for the faculty.  When the faculty persisted in attempting to get a straight answer from her, she retorted that the faculty needs to “grow up.”
  • She has a private college admissions consulting business in Bronxville.  As the head of our school and the head of the guidance department, shouldn’t she be doing everything to help our children get into the most competitive schools?  If she is helping students from other districts, aren’t they in direct competition for the same spots?
  • There was absolutely no attendance policy for the entire first quarter of the school year.  There were no consequences for cutting classes.  The administration knew that the attendance secretary was cut last spring.  Why wasn’t a policy in place in September?
  • There is no way for the students to receive communications from fellow students or faculty now that video journalism was cut.  Shouldn’t a plan have been set up so our kids could know what is happening in their clubs and activities?   This shows a lack of planning and foresight.
  • A bullying/hazing expert came to address the students and faculty, but he wasn’t told that we had a major hazing event at the high school.  Isn’t this important information for the speaker to know? Additionally, the individuals involved in the incident and their siblings weren’t given the option to skip the assembly if they were uncomfortable being present.  This shows a lack of concern for the emotional wellbeing of our kids.
  • Mrs. Taylor granted schedule changes to some students and not to others.  Why isn’t there one policy that applies to all our children? 

 

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We think that these examples highlight a pattern of incompetence and call her character and capabilities into question.  We want and deserve the best possible principal in our high school.  If Mrs. Taylor isn’t the right person for the job, we should search for a new educational leader for the high school.

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