Dear Editor, The Martin Murphy Middle School staff was shocked
and appalled. May 11 when we were informed that our assistant
principal job may be reduced to a .4 position. Our school simply
cannot function with a two-day-a-week assistant principal.
Dear Editor,
The Martin Murphy Middle School staff was shocked and appalled. May 11 when we were informed that our assistant principal job may be reduced to a .4 position. Our school simply cannot function with a two-day-a-week assistant principal.
As it is now, we have difficulties since we no longer have the activity bus in the afternoon, so after-school detention is limited to one day per week, and lunch detention is held two days per week. Discipline is a huge issue and is in demand on a daily basis. With a .4 assistant principal, we will have chaos.
The argument has been made that Murphy is now the size of an elementary school, and they don’t have APs, so why should we? The answer is that elementary schools do not contain 570 middle school kids.
Seventh and eighth grade students, by definition, are going through a massive transitional time in their lives. Then, add in drugs, alcohol, gang issues, immaturity, girl fights, disenchanted students, weapons, suicidal students, defiance, students lacking social skills and angry and confused kids; the need for strong leadership is obvious. It is also more than one person can handle.
Our assistant principal also has more responsibility than just discipline. AP Caroline Caracciolo is in charge of special education at Murphy, and in that capacity attends individual education plan (IEP) meetings, evaluates our special ed teachers and aides, handles administrative placements, participates in creating behavior plans, and gets to know every one of our special needs kids.
Our sudent staff team (SST) also depends on her valuable input. She is the one that my students know and trust, and we work together to teach my students how to function successfully at Murphy. By the end of this school year, we will have held around 80 IEPs, between our annuals, triennials, new referrals and administrative placements. An administrator is required by law at these meetings, preferably one who is familiar with the student and his needs. Again, a single administrator or 1.4 administrators cannot handle this, in addition to all of their other duties.
I’m wondering why the extra assisant principal coverage that Sobrato needs, since it is growing, is coming from Murphy instead of Live Oak, which is shrinking. It would make more sense to me to have an assisant principal who is familiar with high school culture to move between high schools.
If Murphy is to continue being a successful, nurturing, and relatively peaceful campus, then we need to continue having our full-time assistant principal, Caroline Caracciolo.
Heather Wallace, lead teacher, special education, Martin Murphy Middle School
