Safety Harbor Elementary School

We have 3 kids (2 with IEPs) at Safety Harbor Elementary and I am quite pleased with our experience thus far. I would highly recommend this elementary school to any family coming to town.All of the teachers our kids have had have been fantastic, both in an in-person and virtual environment. They have all gone above and beyond to make our children feel welcomed, and have really pushed them to grow as individuals both socially and academically. We came from New England where our previous elementary school was top ranked on this site and others and had some concerns with where Safety Harbor Elementary was ranked when we moved to town, but our expectations have been exceeded. I would actually rank our experience with the educators at Safety Harbor higher than the previous experience at a higher ranked school. I feel they are much better at catering to a wider range of student ability and interest in Safety Harbor, while our previous experience was great for over achievers, but not so great for your "normal" student who might need guidance in certain areas.The only complaint I would have about this school is with the top leadership. I have never felt so alienated or disappointed with decisions made by the principal at Safety Harbor in regards to specific items relating to my children. She is completely out of touch with reality and there is no room for rational discussion. Thank god for the teachers, as they continue to be so great and have been saviors time and time again despite the principal's shortcomings.

It was a great school until the new principal was hired. She drove out some of the best teachers and other employees. I've never seen so many teachers and staff "retire" in the first school year and then even more the next year. It was so sad to see such a fun loving school loose its spark. I don't mind discipline and rules, especially in a school, but it's been taken to a new level and it can seem more like a prison than a school. I hate leaving a negative review but we left that school so unhappy. We were involved in SHES for 5 years. (Don't get me wrong. The teachers are excellent and my kids still loved it. It was the only school we knew and they had many great friends. But when we moved in the middle of the school year to a new state they finally excelled academically. Their grades improved. They had less homework. It was an all around better experience.)

This school is absolutely amazing. My son, Gino, had gone to a Hillsborough County school for the first part of kindergarten. Our family was just finding out he had ADHD. I was getting phone calls from hillsborough county every day to come pick Gino up from school. They couldn't control him. I was at my whits end and crying to the principal. He finally sent me to the guidance counselor who had never even heard of my son! 3 months at that school and you don't know the worse behaved kid?! We moved to Safety Harbor and enrolled Gino at SHES. It was the best move we could have made. They helped Gino from the first day. Mrs. Goza, Mrs. Turner, Mr. Kalach, and Mrs. Stall worked together as a team to help Gino. They created a 504 plan for him and accomidated his every need. Gino is now in 1st grade with Mrs. Eggers and his behavior problems are almost non-exhistant. They never treated Gino like a problem, they just worked to find a solution. I don't know what the one parent is talking about when they say Mr. Kalach is a bad principal. They do require background checks for volunteers at the school.

My daughter has thrived at Safety Harbor Elementary. Having suffered from epilepsy, I was impressed by the special care she was given by her teachers, especially her kindergarten teached, Mrs. Cross. Now in fourth grade and seizure free, we are thankful for all of the wonderful teachers we've had at Safety Harbor Elementary. Mr. Kalach is a great principal who's enthusiasm for the school is contagious.