Glades Middle School

"The only involved person who cares about the kids is the security guard. Ms. Miller is the worst teacher I have ever met and isolated my son instead of teaching. No one would help us. If your child has ADD this is NOT a good school for you. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED and had to change schools."

"All my sons teachers have been wonderful. The Administration is always participating in school activities whether it be sports or academic related. Anyone who complains about them has not taken the time to speak with them. I do not know of any big behavior issues other than what is normal for this age of students. I recommend school to all."

"The school is okay, there is a lot of fighting and kids yelling at each other. The staff are nothing special either. The principal always yells into the microphone, which is honestly ear peircing. There is some really mean teachers there I’m not going to lie. And some of the buses come really late. Like I said the kids there are so violent and annoying, and the food there is absolutely disgusting. There is good things about the school too though, like when you get to use your phone or when you actually get to make friends which is really hard to do there. In conclusion you can barely be yourself and the school in general is okay. I wouldn’t recommend it unless your kid(s) have friends there."

"This school seems to not care about their students. Bullying is not taken seriously, food is awful, staff aren't exactly "amazing", along with other problems. You say "every student who walks through our doors is provided with a safe and nurturing learning environment in which they can strive to achieve emotional, social, civic and academic growth." Yet, this is all hard to be seen within the school. The students are not safe, due to the high amount of sexual harassment, and there's nothing "nurturing" about the fact that Glades is in the top 10 of worst schools for sexual assault. How do you expect them to grow in other things, like socially and emotionally in an environment like that? How can they grow when they're being harassed? This school seems to not care about it's students, it's awful, and I hope the people who work there see this."

"I attended Glades Middle School from August 2012 (6th grade) to July 2014 (7th grade). At this point, everyone in my grade has graduated and are now High School Freshmen. From my time there, only the 2013-2014 6th graders remain. Thus, my experiences from 2-4 years ago may not necessarily reflect the current state of the school. Overall, the school had a major problem with students' behaviour. While I was there, the school mostly turned a blind eye and failed to address the issue. The way many of my peers spoke was absolutely appalling. Not a day goes by where I don't here racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, etc. comments. Slurs such as n****** and f***** were especially popular among students. Cursing is one thing, but this is just a whole new level of deplorable. Say what you want about racism, feminism, or LGBT rights, but there is a degree of respect that must be upheld, especially at a Middle school. The fact that students feel as if they can openly express these sentiments in such a public space is concerning, to say the very least. Unfortunately, foul language is largely tied to many instances of bullying. During the 6th grade, the Gifted boys all had some sort of personal vendetta against me. Almost every day, they would mock my name in a condescending manner, knowing full well that it bothered me. These taunts were unprovoked for the most, as I try not to talk to those boys, knowing that they despised me. Besides name calling, they would also "flirt" with me as some sort of "joke." They would often do this by saying things that were very lewd and sexually explicit, such as sexual acts they would "like to do to me." Looking back, those types of comments became so excessive that I feel as if I was sexually harassed. They would also spread vicious rumours about me that would spread around the school. It got to the point where regulars and upperclassmen, people I didn't even know, started to bully me as well. This continued on until I decided to finally leave the school. The 6th and 7th grade was so traumatizing and my mental and emotional health was greatly affected by the bullying. I always felt nervous and anxious, dreading what would happen to me at school everyday. I could not get myself to put any effort into my schoolwork, and my grades declined as a result. My fears were so overwhelming that I was even afraid of going to the non-private restroom. I was at a very dark place, and 2013, in particular, was the lowest point in my life. I'm not asking for any sympathy or pity, I just need to express my story. There's nothing I can do to change what happened to me. The only way I'll get justice is by moving forward and living my life in happiness and self-assurance. As for Glades, the school needs to do something other than using cliché slogans in order to stop bullying. They must implement greater repercussions for those who bully. Teachers also need to pay attention to how students interact with each other, since a lot of my own incidents occured in class without their knowledge. Many victims of bullying don't report their bullies, and are silenced out of fear. Glades needs to encourage their students to seek help from teachers or counselors. Reporting bullying has become so stigmatized by things such as the anonymous "bully box." Victims need to come forward in order for any change to happen. At the same time, the school needs to ensure the well-being of the victim and punish the perpetrators appropriately. Going to the school counselor can be one of the most empowering and liberating things you could do in your life. As for parents, it's important that you are involved in your child's life at school and to be there for him/her as a strong support system. Bullying victims feel so isolated and detatched from the world. Just being there for your child could do so much good."