Martha Hunt Elementary School

Our experience at Hunt Elementary has not been a good one. The school has a significant bullying problem that is not recognized or addressed even when it is brought to leaders' attention. There are many, many unkind students who attend this school. Teachers favor students whose parents buy them expensive gifts for birthdays and holidays. General academic focus is on how to pass a standardized test not learning the material. I only had one child who attended this school and would never send another child through it.

Lots of bullying at this school. PASAR is the worst.They don’t seem to pay any attention or take complaints seriously. Kids seems to get away with almost everything. My daughter has been told by a senior kid that she didn’t deserve a life. To top everything she was beaten up by this one boy who we have always complained about. She was kicked in the foot, couldn’t walk and had to miss school for two days. Luckily it turned out to be a sprain and not a fracture. It’s really not a safe place for kids.

Although the top-level administration appears to be complying with state and district policies, their hands seem tied. When I speak with many of the teachers and administrators, I get the impression that they are so worried about appearances and the pressures of testing, parents, community and the district, that they are no longer enjoying their profession. I cannot put all blame on this school because I too have been there and know that each year, the constraints and requirements continue to mount for Texas educators. However, if PISD wants to remain a top performing district, they need to train teachers as a whole to perpetuate kind and loving teachers, staff, and administrators. This school needs to be aware that they have gone too far the other way since changing administrators and really need to think about creating a culture of love, support, and family. Only a handful of teachers fit this bill, which is unacceptable at an elementary level. Also, in any good business, the front staff personnel should be welcoming and kind. Likewise, young kids should not be yelled at or talked down to. The school struggles in this regard as well. If I were to evaluate this campus from a growth stand point, I would suggest that the element of communication should be revisited, along with campus culture. The trickle-down approach may be worth noting, as I have found that working with admins who built a school of "community," found it perpetuating throughout the teachers' classrooms as well.

The school has some very good teachers, but there are a few teachers in Kindergarten who definitely seem to show bias/favoritism(for lack of a better word). Kids of classroom moms/PTA moms win more "spirit" sticks and get more attention all the time. What are "spirit" sticks for kindergarteners anyway?If it is to improve the "spirit" it is definitely having the opposite effect of my kindergartener at least. Why the scam of awarding "Spirit" sticks when it is based on teacher's bias? The school is turning pay-to-play. The more gifts and presents that the teachers are indulged with, the greater attention your kid gets.If I have to pay bribes to get teacher's attention, I might as well send the kid to a Private school. My kid has been showing declining interest in attending school and I think it is due to the fact of feeling left out most of the time with respect to any positive attention/re-inforcement in the class.