Glad my kids don’t go there. And why are the parents of these rotten bullies not doing anything or being held accountable as well.

Unless kids are getting beat up, this looks more like anti-bully hype is being abused and taken advantage of for other things.

Way to go again and not tell the whole story WCCO. What happened? Were the bullies ever found and I like the questions Sam I am asked, what the heck is happening with the bullies/parents of the bullies? 1s again it looks as if personal accountability is taken out of the equation and that this must have something to do with the school cause my baby is a perfect little angel.

these kids are angry full of rage pottymouths just like there parents,some of the parents are bullies.

In other words, the trendy anti-bully hype is being used to bully a school principle.

And not even one example of bullying is reported in the story–very, very interesting.

teh accuaracy of this report: Stink, Stank, Stunk!

I was at the meeting and parents were very passionate about sharing their concerns with the Superintendent and Board in a public forum, since Board members and the Superintendent have not addressed their concerns even though they have been voicing these same concerns for over a year. The leadership on both ends, the principal, Board members, and Superintendent have not done a thing to address parental complaints. All of this could have been prevented!

I absolutely hate the shoddy reporting here on WCCO’s website. How exactly does principle bailley not show leadership and judgment skills? How many teachers actually transferred? What are the issue’s arising with the bulling policies? How many kids have reported being bullied? Have any kids gone to the school nurse? Have any gone to counselors or school social workers?

Can we PLEASE have some real reporting! WCCO is turning into a gossip rag of she said,he said.

Right Maurice! There are problems at Aquila, but a few details would be nice. The article does nothing other than place blame, and there is so much more.

I think the media popularized anti-bully hype, and the media should pay all the salaries and lost wages for this school to be used as a political battleground for pop culture.

Victim Du Jour, YOU are wrong!! Kids are not in school to learn how to act, they are there to learn. It IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY as parents to teach our kids right from wrong, respect for themselves and others. Babies are not born knowing anything other than to cry, and no directions supplied. You think there are too many stay at homes, better guess again, maybe if there were the parents would have the time to teach their kids. As it stands most parents have to work, the kids are placed in child care where they are not taught how to behave. When kids rule the roost, parents havent got the intelligence to break the habit and teach them the correct behaviors. Schools have the worst part in dealing with kids if parents arent doing their share at home. Too many bullies because parents arent teaching plain and simple.Everyone seems to think the schools are supposed to teach everything besides academics!

WCCO doesn’t have any details on specific bullying incidents because the parents weren’t allowed to talk about that at the meeting last night. All of the parents’ dealings with the board and superintendent up until now have been via emails, phone calls, letters and individual meetings and have been going on for over a year. Ultimately the administration (at all levels) are accountable to these parents. The fact that so many teachers want out of Aquila Primary also speaks volumes. This is a school that until this year had almost zero turnover in teaching staff because it was such a wonderful work environment, despite having a change in leadership once before in recent years. So what happened this year with the arrival of new leadership? Before readers of this hugely incomplete story pass judgment there should be further investigation about what has been going on at Aquila Primary for the past year. Perhaps the school board’s upcoming open forum meetings and additional interviews with more of the people involved will shed more light on the issues and WCCO can have more solid and balanced information to report. Otherwise, the “reporting” only invites speculation that is inaccurate and unfair.

Having been present in various schools throughout the twin cities over the years I would state that Ms. Bailey’s style is much more hands off and removed than other elementary school prinicipals I have worked with. This is not to say that she is an ineffective principal but her approach and interactions with the staff and students during the dat appeared less direct and involved in many ways.

The one thing I would say is that she does address behavioral concerns in a direct manner, so I question the accusations and concerns being addressed at this time.

I must say this is a total shock to me. My son is a student at Aquila and I volunteer my time as often as I can and I have never had any issues with the school or Mrs. Bailey! I think she is an amazing woman and is not only available to parents but she is very approchable. It’s too bad that this was made public with not all of the facts and with a lot of lies! I attended Aquila myself many years ago and I am proud to have my son attending school there as well! I support Mrs. Bailey 100%!

I am glad that your experience at Aquila has been 100% positive. Up until this year, ours had been too. Just because none of these things happened to you, does not mean they didn’t happen to others. Also, i think calling fellow concerned parents liars without any reason other than its different from your experience, is not what “Aquila Pride” is about.

As a parent of a recently former Aquila student and a current second grader I can state that this is not simply about bullying. It is more about job performamce of an adminsitrator – principal Bailey.
The two former principles I dealt with in Aquila have been fantastic in pretty much every aspect. If I had an issue and contacted either one, I would get a response within hours. I waited 3 days for principal Bailey to respond to a serious ocncern I had with my second grader. In the conversation all I heard were excuses and and little action to correctthe situation.
I asked my second grader if he sees Principal Bailey in the halls and he said yes. I asked him if she knew his name and ever said “Hi” to him and he said no. This is after he had a one-on-opne conversation with him due to the situation mentioned previously.
I have had conversations with teachers at Aquila and they feel that she is not considering their opinion and supporting them in the classroom. Of course you are not going to hear from individual teachers, but 16 out of 19 teachers requesting transfers due to a poor quality principal should be considered a referendum on job performance.

It is not 16 of 19 teachers. Just because someone reports this on tv means it is fact? It amazes me how many people that were at the meeting that come to the school and smile in the staffs face as if they did not see you on the news. If you really feel the way you do than say it. Aquila and St Louis Park Schools are wonderful. There is not one school, job, hang out where there is not going to be bullys. It’s up to us as parents to teach 1and support our kids. Us as parents need to take responsibilty for our kids!

I wonder, when you all close your eyes and think about these bullies and their parents what you picture them to look like. I can remember an incident from years ago regarding alleged bullying on a Susan Lindgren bus. The solution was to release the “bullies” 15 minutes early so the bus had time to deliver them home before the rest of the students were dismissed. No conflict resolution, decisions were made to accommodate an elite few, and that decision caused a civil rights set-back of 40 years.

Ours is a diverse community, and to St. Louis Park’s traditional middle class suburban residents, there is a lot we can learn to better understand the culture and actions of one another.

I realize the concerns of Aquila parents are bigger than this, and I hope our district’s administration will find a process to rectify it peacefully and expeditiously. .

“”The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Frieda, show us what you got!

The woman who stated that 16 out of 19 teachers requested a transfer admitted that it was lie at the 3/22 meeting. She made the comment “so it was not accurate data, so what?”. I watched her throughout this meeting and her reactions were odd…laughing that she was able to get parents mad with these madeup stories. Then it is revealed that she worked at Cedar Manor under Ms Bailey and she no longer is employed by the district.Now this disgruntled employee is out to get Ms Bailey and doesn’t care that she is interfering with our children’s education.This woman is conducting secret meetings at the Rec Center inviting only “select” parents.This select group is gullable enough to believe her nonscense and fight for her selfish cause….to remove Ms Bailey.Meanwhile, other parents (the majority) are excluded from these meetings. This woman contacted the media and told them about the 3/21 meeting. At the 3/22 meeting we find out her inaccuarcies and she thinks it’s funny. I am saddened to see these parents fooled by this woman. My children are so fortunate to be able to attend Aquila. We will not allow a handful of crazy parents intefere with our children’s education.

“Kids are suppose to be dumb and stupid. Part of going to school is learning how to act.”

Yeah, and one aspect of that is that bullies should be disciplined for their actions.

All the parent speakers start off saying “I’m here to support all Aquila students” hmmmm…their own ideas…really? We are talking about children learning in a safe environment and you want to talk about Charles Manson….GOOD GRIEF!!!! Why are you parents escalating this? Stop acting like children and act like adults. My child thrives at Aquila. If you’re unhappy then leave.Aquila is a place for parents who are invested in their child’s education not for whiners and not for parents(???) who make up stories.

My wife and I received our childrens’ NWEA results. The gains they have made are amazing!!!! We are so fortunate to have a leader like Ms Bailey. Ms Bailey brought Wiggleworks and Aleks to Aquila. Both are computer programs designed to help students with Reading and Math. These programs are not available to all SLP students. They ARE available to Aquila students thanks to Ms Bailey.

To the parent who said, “if you are so unhappy with Aquila, then leave”… Be careful you might get what you wish for. But keep in mind all those parents that spoke their mind last week volunteer a lot of hours at the school, provide cash donations and support their school in so many ways. That is why they are so vocal.

If they leave… they won’t lose, Aquila will. Remember is Aquila has the highest free and reduced population, which usually means a lot less parents willing and able to volunteer!

All schools need money and parent volunteers to work. The money is fixed, but the volunteer hours can be unlimited.

I don’t believe Ms. Bailey is excelling at her job. I think she is well below average.

However, I also say, “Bailey, show us what you got… ” Step it up, return phone calls or emails within 24 hours not days or weeks or never… get involved immediately when there are issues with behavior, walk the halls, spend time in the lunch room, spend time on the play ground, get to know the students and their parents, unite your teachers and make them WANT to work for you! All of this seems to be Principal-ship 101… seems so obvious to me, why is it so difficult.

No, we will not lose. We know what a great school Aquila is and that the Aquila teachers/leadership are second to none. We too volunteer and donate money.We find it odd that parents threaten a school (pulling out their kid,threatening to not give money). This is not pro kid or pro education.

We have spoken to more than a dozen teachers, all supporting Ms Bailey. We have yet to find one requesting a transfer.We want the best for our children and that is why we are dedicated to Aquila.