We Support Open School

Dear Mr. Cole-Gutierrez:

It's come to our attention that a letter that was highly critical of our school, Open Charter Magnet, our governing board and our principal was recently sent to you and the Charter Office by an anonymous individual claiming to be a parent at the school.  The writer accused our governing board of corruption and questioned our principal’s ability to lead the school.

Karen Petersen, a long-time Open School parent, wrote a letter to our community in support of our school leadership, our school and our teachers that we’ve included with this petition.  In her letter, Karen asks that parents who share her sentiments sign this petition and write their own letters to you.  We want you to that whoever wrote the critical letter you received speaks for a small minority, not the large majority of our community.  We want our voices heard and we want our names directly associated with our words.

We believe Open Charter is run with integrity and is a school where our children receive an unparalleled academic education that teaches them to be critical thinkers, responsible citizens and good people.  We appreciate you taking the time to read both this petition, the other letters our parents will send, and the letter Karen Petersen has written below.

Sincerely,

Concerned Parents of Open Charter Magnet School

 

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Dear Open School Community,

As the school year draws to an end and our family prepares to say goodbye after six amazing years, I feel compelled to write this letter of gratitude and support for the amazing teachers, staff, governing board and parents responsible this treasured experience.   My son’s education has been enriched by the innovative teacher-created curriculum, the amazing parent-led events and the wonderfully supportive school community that encourages all of our kids to be their unique and wonderful selves.

I was deeply saddened to learn that a letter, highly critical of Open School, our governing board and our principal, was recently sent to the Charter Office, oversight body of all LAUSD Charter Schools.  The letter claimed to be written by a parent, but was sent anonymously.  The writer accused our governing board of corruption and questioned the legitimacy of our principal.

Open School is not perfect.  I do not know of any school that is.  But my family’s experience has been overwhelmingly positive thanks in a large part to the even-handed leadership of our principal, Antoinette Cass, the dedicated teachers and the governing board who work diligently to ensure the efficient functioning of Open School’s parent/teacher cooperative governance.  The system works.  The people involved – both paid employees and volunteer parents – are devoted, hard-working and always mindful of the best interests of the students.

To quote a recent letter Posted to the Yahoo Group from parent Mark Imgrund, “Open School isn't the only "high-performing" elementary school on this side of town. It's not the only charter school, and it's not the only magnet school. But I can confidently say that there is no other school in all of Los Angeles like our school. And for that I am grateful and so proud of each and every teacher, and all of our amazing specialists.”  I would extend this thought to include gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of our principal and our governing board without whom our school would not be the successful place it is.

Thank you teachers, staff, Governing Board, Friends and Ms. Cass for themed clusters of constructivist teaching individualized to each student, for Open School Day, Read-a-thon, Jog-a-thon and Fall Family Festival, and for your unfailing commitment to our Community of Respect.

I would like to leave Open School knowing that the Charter Office understands the anonymous letter is not representative of the majority opinion. Let’s not let this one voice speak for the majority and adversely affect our school. I believe the parent community supports our school and values the excellent work of our leadership.  If you share my sentiment, please join me by signing this petition of support for Open School (

http://www.petitions24.com/we_support_open_school).  The final signed document will be sent to the LAUSD Charter Office.  Additionally, I encourage you to write your own letter expressing your thoughts and feelings about your Open School experience.  Your individual letters should be sent to:

Jose Cole-Gutierrez, Director of the Charter Office

333 S Beaudry Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90017-1413

Or by email @ jose.cole-gutierrez@lausd.net

Leaving Open School is difficult enough.  Leaving the school feeling that it is under attack is unbearable.  But knowing that the Charter Office will be flooded with your letters of support and the petition will be filled with pages of signatures puts my heart at rest.

Thank you and I will miss you,

Karen Petersen, Parent of Kai Suzuki, Purple Cluster