Parent Meeting

Parents went to Pleasant View School to ask why student schedules were still not properly resolved even though school had started days earlier, and to raise concerns about the way students and teachers were being treated, including reports of students and teachers being yelled at.

Parents were frustrated, but we were not fighting or looking for confrontation. We came for answers and to understand how these issues could be resolved. We were also there to ask, “How can we help? How can we work together?”

Instead of helping to calm the situation, the interactions with Hamzah Goodson and Denetria Shirley became defensive and dismissive. Parents felt that their concerns were being minimized rather than genuinely heard. Ms. Shirley’s eye-rolling, tone, and negative attitude added to the tension.

Mr. Goodson eventually asked the parents to leave the room, and security was called on us. We left without receiving the answers or resolution we had come seeking.

One parent directly told Mr. Goodson that he needed to do better and that the way the situation was handled was shameful.

Parents should be able to ask questions about their children’s education and raise concerns about the treatment of students and teachers without being made to feel like a problem.

This is exactly why accountability, respectful communication, and responsible leadership matter.