Delmar Arts Academy at 1400 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This school appears to very charming and nurturing when you visit. We have had our son there for almost a year. Little by little, we have experienced issues that reveals a different picture. My sons teacher, who he was very attached to, quit with immediate action last week. After this event we have been informed that all together 12 teachers have resigned during this past school year.

My son struggle with transitions. Thats why I chose Delmar as a school because they claim to be experts on emotional issues. But during the difficult period my son had, the director let me know repeatedly that his extensive crying and reluctance to change activities was causing a lot of extra work and stress for them. I told the school I had a feeling someone was being mean to him, because he was very unhappy about coming to school in the morning. The director kept telling me that it was all to do with the arrival of his new sibling. It has now been confirmed by some of the teachers that have left the school, that the director regularly pulled my son out of his classroom when he cried, and placed him in the baby class. That's where he belonged when he cried like a baby. Some of his classmates have also experienced being moved to the baby class for various reasons, and they have told their parents at home.

At pick up time the day after one of my meetings with them about my sons issues, the director walked him out and started talking to me about the next step in the potty training. My son was crying, he was very uncomfortable, which she seemed to ignore completely. She explained to me how she wanted me to start teaching him to wipe himself after a toilet visit. My son is three years old and totally dry, but he needs help with wiping still. As soon as we got home I checked his pants because he was so uncomfortable. The director had simply neglected to help him at all, his underpants were really badly stained. I could tell he felt humiliated, and he kept telling me "mommy I need help." I called the director immediately and told her that this treatment was totally unacceptable. At first she pretended that she didn't understand was I was saying, and then she moved on to blaming my son, saying that he had told her that he was done. I kept insisting and she replied with referring to rules and regulations and how important it was that parents worked with the school accordingly. Refusing to admit a mistake or apologize, basically. Later I asked my sons teacher wether she had heard about the incident. She said yes, I asked her "what did you hear? " She said "that your son unfortunately had some poop on his hands ..."

The director acts like she simply does not like children. She also has the habit of telling the parents about "bad behavior" while she's walking the kids out at pick up, and how this should be "talked about" at home. At the same time they are preaching about conscious discipline and offering courses to parents. There are many good things about conscious discipline. But regular humiliation is as far as I know, NOT a part of it.