Westgate Townes

School is really trashy, no emotional support or care for students. My teacher told me to lie about my religion because she didn’t want me wearing my non-offensive bandana because it was “against the dress code” also rats and roaches. School lunch can also make people sick. -1000 do not recommend this school personally.

I have no idea where the positive reviews come from, but as a parent; my expectations are significantly higher than worrying about solar panels or various amenities that lack any intellectual significance. My daughter graduated from this school; graduate that’s about all they do is just push you out the door. I had an issue with the school counselor, Kristina Lazzari and she just collects a pay check. She doesn’t do anything nor does any of the teachers. Take a look at various reviews and you’ll note that there are lots of complaints about the staff and school. As a matter of fact, if you review schoolreview.org you’ll notice that the school performs UNDER the State average. I care about my kids education and this certainly isn’t the place for that!

I am speaking from our individualized experience and specifically on the topic of children who require support needs. If your child does not require support needs, you can "get by" on their educational programing. We have had several issues that are even outside of their lack of knowledge/compassion/involvement for children that require support needs. Our experience at Belville Elementary has been challenging, particularly regarding support services and student safety. While the general curriculum may be sufficient for children without additional needs, the school demonstrated a lack of understanding and involvement for children requiring support (e.g., language used "he/she isn't low enough on the spectrum to qualify for that"). Despite a formal ASD and SPD diagnosis, staff dismissed our request for on-site services without assessment (e.g., IEP). We did request an IEP immediately, but the other issues (listed below) just made us realize that it is not worth it to fight it and to ultimately discontinue our child's educational journey there. Additionally and most importantly, safety concerns arose when our child was being bullied and then was ultimately disciplined for defending herself, while more concerning behavior from other students was minimized (e.g., the statement, "boys will be boys" was allegedly mentioned by the principal when I was speaking to another parent about a different issue). These safety concerns is what ultimately led us to seek alternative education. While some families may have a different experience, we found the environment lacking in support, structure, and responsiveness.I am rating this school at 2 stars because my child loves their teacher and the teacher seems to be separated from the political climate of the administration.

I'm a freshman at ECHS and this first semester has been challenging but I have realized that the reason we were pushed was to get us college ready and so that we are ready to start taking college classes.