Vandals Trash Arlington Country Day

[former student]

I graduated from this school just last year. It's a shame to see what it's going through now. I mean it wasn't the best school I've ever attended, but I was a good kid and made good grades, made amazing friends and had wonderful teachers there. This school just needs new management who will actually care for the welfare of ACD's faculty and students.

[vagabond]

BroncoBilly wrote:

<quoted text>
Are you insinuating that ADULTS are responsible for this childish act? Hummmmmm.....

NO! The vandalism is probably related to the graffiti in Mandarin. The management is a separate issue entirely.

[ItsMeDJ]

I'm shocked at the comments that I'm reading on here, meaning public versus private school. These are personal choices parents make, just like a religion or what time the child has to be home.
What school they go to doesn't make them better or worse, it's simply a matter of preference and what you can afford.

[Another Mom and Granny]

More power to the parents who sacrifice to send their children to a good school. The public schools have not been doing the job since the 1960's. If they were a corporation they would have gone under long ere this due to a faulty product.

There are a lot of reasons for the deficiencies in public schools and money does not happen to be one of those reasons. The Teachers unions and government regulation from Washington are the main problems. Both need to be out of local public education.

I can remember my eldest child crying the day she graduated from high school. I thought it was excitement, hormones, fear, etc. I was very surprised when she said what she was upset about was the fact she was an honor student and she did not feel she got as good and education as her father and I had. Unfortunately I could not argue with her. She was right. Where we lived there were not good private schools near by or our children would have attended. Public schools were the only choice.

[Im mean too]

Ouch! why you gotta go there? What makes them mean... because they expect you to do your work and refuse to accept the mediocrity today's youth tend to dwell in?
It's a shame this would happen to any school, and I'm sure there is plenty of blame to go around.
Personally, I blame the parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Ok I attend ACD and it made me so mad to here that somebody did this to our school. Because on Friday we spent so much time getting ready for Monday and I hear this happend. And yeah the teachers were upset because they did not get paid on there normal schedule anybody can understand that. They need to pay the bills. All I can say is I do not know why people want to harm are school. From somebody who was there today said that all of the class room windows were broken except for the mean teachers like Mr.Jones,Mrs.Vails,Mrs.McClure , etc. So it makes me wonder who it could have been.

[in georgia]

BULL CRAP*********
Family emergengy was they didn't have the money so he skipped town for a day to make him try to look good.Someone probably sought a little justice

[Neighborhood citizen]

Why didn't the alarms go off. I hear the alarms go off all of the time when they aren't supposed to so why suddenly this time did they not go off at all. An alarm would go off for broken windows and doors, wouldn't it? Based on the crime in that section of town, alarms must be set.....

[concerned mom]

the joker wrote:

private schools are a joke. Any parents who shelter their kids through these schools are responsible for their weak sniveling children's upbringing.These kids grow up with no understanding of criminal and learn about it during and after college, where they join the management workforce they use this lack of moral understanding to screw over the employees. In a public school when you rob, steal, vandalize, and hose others over you learn respect for others property after a couple of well deserved beatings. These private school kids are the future "Enron" managers of fortune 500 companies

You obviously have no clue. When you do anything wrong in the public schools, the school board is so scared of being sued that their hands are tied and they don't do anything. Schools have not been allowed to discipline much less "beat" anyone in years. Get your stories straight before you judge.

[ItsMeDJ]

in georgia wrote:

BULL CRAP*********
Family emergengy was they didn't have the money so he skipped town for a day to make him try to look good.Someone probably sought a little justice

You are posting on something that you clearly know nothing about...Who is "he"? There is no "he"!

[ItsMeDJ]

Neighborhood citizen wrote:

Why didn't the alarms go off. I hear the alarms go off all of the time when they aren't supposed to so why suddenly this time did they not go off at all. An alarm would go off for broken windows and doors, wouldn't it? Based on the crime in that section of town, alarms must be set.....

Good question!!!

[scott1]

vagabond wrote:

Only one of you mentioned that only one person had authority to sign paychecks. If this is true, it is a poor management practice. There are too many reasons that that single individual might be unable to sign the checks, which would cause a hardship to employees (support staff as well as professionals) who have automatic payments scheduled or otherwise need their checks on time. If we have that one example of poor management practice, it makes rumors seem more possibly valid.

there was a story last week about parents calling in with concerns because they found out teachers did not get their checks because the one person who could sign them suddenly left town for the weekend,,without signing them...so yes, it is not a rumor..but true..and its a stupid thing for them to do.

[Debbra]

To bad there where not camera's.Maybe they will brag about it and someone will do a good deed and get them busted.Who ever did this you should just turn rotton to the bone self in.

[Anonymous]

Im mean too wrote:

Ouch! why you gotta go there? What makes them mean... because they expect you to do your work and refuse to accept the mediocrity today's youth tend to dwell in?
It's a shame this would happen to any school, and I'm sure there is plenty of blame to go around.
Personally, I blame the parents.
<quoted text>

Well they arent mean they just enforce discipline. Which is what there suppose to do.

[Anonymous]

in georgia wrote:

BULL CRAP*********
Family emergengy was they didn't have the money so he skipped town for a day to make him try to look good.Someone probably sought a little justice

If you new anything about the school you would know its a she not a he.

[interesting]

Brent is a bad principle? or a bad principal?

[robert carter]

if i could i would help clean it up

[Tony Bologna]

Regarding the checks...any work place that doesn't have direct deposit these days is out of touch.

[the joker]

No, my kids will earn their way and have respect towards others. Your child will be my childs boss, at least until he gets caught stealing from the company, using his position for sexual favors, and so on. Then my kid will be boss because the company will need a person of honesty and integrity after your kid embezzles money from the workers. Crime comes from the rich kids never having to own up to their actions. They start trouble and their parents come to the rescue with lawyers ect.. These vandals will be caught and expelled only to be put into yet another private school after parents like you who (who are putting the needs of needy kids before your own i.e. teaching them zero for respect and responsibility )save them yet again. My co-workers are a majority of private school/parents paid college kids. The disrespect they show towards hard honest work is pathetic. They think they are better than their employees They don't understand that my values and work ethic come from working to pay my own education, nothing was given to me and my children will earn their way to the top as well. Your kid will just expect it like some noble birthright

Mandarin wrote:

<quoted text>
That is fine with me. My child will need to be your child's boss. You are right that they don't learn how to be a criminal in private school. I am not sheltering my child. I am putting his needs before min. No alcohol, no cigarettes, no $300,000.00 home.I have yet to hear of a fight that broke out at the public school because a student was tired of someone stealing, vadalizing, or acting up in class. I have seen that a few times at private schools.

[the joker]

I have a good clue, public school kids handle their own punishment. I took beatings and i gave beatings in school. We discipline our own, no teacher with a paddle to give us a spanking needed. You stole Johnny's pencil, Johnny punched you in the eye punishment served, problem solved

concerned mom wrote:

<quoted text>You obviously have no clue. When you do anything wrong in the public schools, the school board is so scared of being sued that their hands are tied and they don't do anything. Schools have not been allowed to discipline much less "beat" anyone in years. Get your stories straight before you judge.

[B-man]

Bad rap wrote:

Unfortunately we are a society of judgement and haste. As far as ACD is concerned there are several things that have changed over the years to make this place better. My first year there the hallways were crowded with students hanging out and skipping class. The school has done a 360 degree turn around, kids are expected and enforced to be in class. Also teachers are more caring and are concerned with the education of the kids. Unfortunately the school has had a bad reputation for so long that we can't seem to shake it. As far as kids coming to ACD because they have been expelled from public school is definitely a untrue statement. Public school versus private school is the biggest waste of time for arguments. People place there kids in private schools for small class rooms and more educational attention whether they get it or not is a different subject but that is the underlying reason. Also there are some kids that are not good at standardize test such as the FCAT so parents put them in private school to avoild failure. Public schools are not doing much better with all the schools in Duval County that are constantly receiving failing grades. I attended public school all my life and I have taught in public and private schools, everything depends on where you are when deciding which is better. If the private school has quality teachers and administration they will be better suited for kids, if the public school has several good educators and good administration they will have a better situation for the kids. As it was said earlier it is a shame that people are more concerned with trashing ACD both physically and verbally than they are about the kids whose education is being turned upside down. Also the comment about adults can just get another job, I wish it was that easy. With this economy it will be a financial burden and hardship on every teacher at ACD to pick up and start all over again. Especially with the summer coming and there will not be many educational jobs available. Also it is about much more than finding a job, it is about finding a job that will pay you similar salaries to allow you to maintain your current lifestyle. It is with my deepest prayers that ACD overcomes this to prove to the county that we are small but strong.

A 360 turn around?! That sounds more like the lousy Public Schools. I know you probably meant to say 180. I also have heard that ACD has come a long way. I am proud of them, I am lookong at private schools also. The Gladiator academies that are here in Jacksonville are graduating smaller numbers, and these kids are not up to the challenges of life. I too went to private school and as a result could actually spell when I graduated. Good luck ACD, the best way to beat the losers that did this to you is to prosper. I am sure you will.