Dear Parents,

Several elementary school parents have teamed up and investigated the ongoing situation in Norman S. Edelcup Sunny Isles Beach K-8. We found many different problems with different levels of importance and responsibilities. Mismanagement is the leading cause of most of the problems. Some issues are up to the city, while others are up to the district. We need your help to get these claims through the bureaucratic process to make a change. Please carefully read our findings and sign the petition if you agree.

Here is a quick summary of it. 

• Overpopulation
• Lack of teachers, assistants, and substitutes
• Dirty school, lack of janitors, and low pay.
• School Renovation.
• School lunches. 
• Teachers’ misconduct.
• Dysfunctional PTSA
• Parent volunteers aren't allowed.
• Parking.
• Metal detector.                                                
  
  The full version is provided below.

The procedure for filing complaints is as follows: first, we must send the letter to the principal SIBNEK-8 and SIB Mayor. They must both take care of everything that is up to them or write back to say who else is responsible for the rest. We want the school to give us a strict timeline of steps that they can take to fix the problems. If the issues aren't resolved locally, we have the right to send this letter to the Miami-Dade Schools Board of Directors and even higher up.

We want to remind you that we live in a very expensive city, pay a lot in property taxes, and deserve the best school possible for the price. Most of us live here just because of this school, so we want the public school to be held accountable for the service they provide.

Please join us by signing the letter with your name and signature.

We need as many signatures as possible. 

   
OFFICIAL LETTER 

To whom it may concern: 

We, the parents of K-8 students at the Norman S. Edelcup Sunny Isles Beach elementary school, would like to express our concerns about the following issues that affect our children's academic accomplishments and health. We urge that you review the list of problems and provide an official response on how and when the responsible parties will resolve them.

1. Overpopulation. The teacher-to-student ratio in elementary schools is 1 to 30/31, which is 72 % higher than the ratio established by The 2022 Florida Statutes (Title XLVIII, Chapter 1003.03). Additionally, the school continues to accept new students. It has come to light that some students do not reside in SIB. At the time of our children's kindergarten enrollment, the school required evidence of residency. However, no more appropriate residency verification has been needed for transferring to the next grade. Although many families have left SIB this year due to rent increases, their children continue to attend SIBNEK-8. We demand an investigation into this problem and the expulsion of any non-SIB residents who do not have the authorization to attend the school.
2. Lack of teachers, assistants, and substitutes. Another commonly cited problem is the need for additional teachers and assistants; however, nobody is interested in applying for these positions. Meanwhile, we found that NSESIBK-8 does not advertise openings anywhere. It took a significant amount of social networking before we could find a direct contact within the school who could take us to HR. How are qualified applicants meant to learn that the SIB school is hiring? How does the school fill open positions? Please note we are aware of the Miami-Dade Hiring protocol and would like to know how exactly NSESIBK-8 addresses and plans to solve this problem. Furthermore, if no one applies for the position, what backup plans does the school have? Will the school request salary increases for teachers and essential personnel? Will the school consider hiring students from EDU colleges or parents?
3. Dirty school, lack of janitors, and low pay. The sanitary condition of the school is under serious consideration. The bathrooms, cafeteria, and floor are dirty. Moreover, we discovered that the school is understaffed with janitors who are paid the lowest feasible wage of $10 per hour. Please clarify if it is the correct hourly rate or the rationale for keeping compensation low. How will the school resolve poor sanitary conditions and lack of cleaning personnel?
4. School Renovation. Although the common areas and corridors are kept in acceptable condition, the classrooms are not. Some classrooms were not renovated for at least one year despite obvious signs of wear and tear on the walls from the prior school years (discoloration from posters, the paint came off in the places where the glue or stickers were, dirty walls). Our only response when we brought up this issue was that maybe the teacher could paint the classroom walls. We seriously doubt it's the educator's job to paint the classroom walls. The classroom's aesthetics might be the teacher's responsibility, while the school is responsible for its technical upkeep. We need answers as to why the school does not maintain its facilities on annual basis and when it will be fixed (repairing and painting the walls and ceilings, mending air conditioning systems).
5. School lunches. The school lunches are inedible! School Cafeteria offers junk food, where even fruits and vegetables (apples and carrots) are frequently moldy and rotten. The flavor and quality of the food are inexcusable. According to Healthiest Weight Florida (2020), one in three children is considered obese in Florida, and the school impact is profound in promoting healthy food choices. Please describe how you will adjust menus and implement food quality control.
6. Teachers’ misconduct. Several teachers systematically scream and yell in the classrooms, to the degree that one of the kids had peed in class out of terror. The teacher who made a student wet themselves has never been held accountable. Although Mrs. Tapia was informed of all misconduct, the instructors have never been disciplined for their actions. The Florida Statutes defines the teacher's authority (Title XLVIII, Chapter 1003.32); however, the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida clearly define the lines of professional conduct (Rule 6A-10.081). It involves coping with students who, due to age, will not comply. It is part of a teacher's job to work with many kids, and there is no justification for raising their voice at minors in a public place other than poor work ethics. We do not want teachers to shout or intimidate our kids. Teachers should contact parents if a student has classroom concerns. Please clarify how you will reprimand teachers who received complaints about their attitudes and yelling, which affects mental health and causes distress to the students.
7. Dysfunctional PTSA. The NSESIB K-8's PTSA is a dysfunctional group that sells T-shirts and collects money. Although the organization's duties must center on promoting children's academic success, school safety, physical fitness, and general well-being, its role has shrunk to marketing various souvenirs. Moreover, it is not accountable to the parents they extort money from. The group does not actively recruit new members, and several current members no longer reside in SIB or have children attending Norman S. Edelcup. We made multiple attempts to join the PTSA group but could not initiate basic communication. The organization is closed, unmanageable, and unaccountable. To establish transparency, we demand an investigation and reorganization of this group. We also insist on rotating group members and bringing new kindergarten parents to the organization each year.
8. Parent volunteers aren't allowed. Parents of all grade levels had applied for volunteer positions numerous times, yet we have never received a single call from the school. Why haven't the parents ever been called in, knowing that each classroom is overpopulated and functions under extreme circumstances?
9. Parking. There is no parking around the school. When parents park on the side of the road, the city issues them tickets. The school hosted an open house on September 14, 2022. All parents parked on the curbsides of adjacent to the school roads received tickets for $36.00. Besides, cars were frequently towed away from an adjacent plaza parking. Please clarify and inform us where a dedicated parking area is.
10. Metal detector. We asked for a metal detector multiple times, but no one ever responded, despite ongoing shootings in the country. Please explain how the responsible parties have handled this problem. 
         Payscale estimates that the cost of living in SIB is 26% higher than the national average, with housing costs being exceptionally high at 57%. With all the property taxes we pay, it is inconceivable that our children are crammed into a dirty, understaffed facility, given overdue junk food for lunch, and subjected to verbal abuse by some teachers. NSESIBK-8 has a reasonably high educational ranking, most likely due to the families' socioeconomic circumstances, not the school itself!

As a result, we request that the abovementioned situations be resolved with the utmost urgency. In the modern era, no parent wants their child to weaken owing to a school's and teacher's carelessness. If we do not observe an improvement in the mentioned issues, we will be compelled to write to the Miami-Dade Board of Directors. In addition to the official response to this letter,  we request a personal meeting so that we can address all the problems in depth. Please take our complaints seriously, as every child's future in the present day depends on quality education. Thank you in advance for your prompt response to this situation.

 

Sincerely,

Parents of the Primary school children