Ethical Concerns

Paramount's first priority is clearly funding and control rather than learning and investing in children.

• Students, especially those with special needs, with IEPs or 504s, are often encouraged to enroll in the school. Once the extra funds resulting from their enrollment are secured within the school, they are quickly targeted by administration for disciplinary action until they are encouraged to leave the school. Shouting at children is normal practice at the school. And to protect themselves from liability, the school has forbidden unscheduled parent visits to teachers and all recording devices.
• Teachers who file complaints are immediately relieved of their employment. The mayor's office representatives have also voiced complaints about the unusually high rate of turnover for teachers and staff at Paramount.
• Parents who discuss concerns with Director Reddicks are responded to with high volume, highly aggressive, and intimidating physical and verbal dismissals in the school and on the playground in front of students, including the children of the parent being verbally intimidated.
• At a PTSO meeting, board member Jerry Shepherd, raised his voice shouting at parents while pointing fingers very near their faces, and eventually lost emotional control and announced, "We can shut down the school!" before being led out by board member, Catherine Nevins. This was in reactions to questions about how the hiring policy of teh school board failed to take into consideration the accusations of sexual molestation from his children of the director they hired, Director Tommy Reddicks.
• At School Board meetings, parents are not allowed to speak, not allowed to record and many times attending parents are not recorded in the minutes. See their list of restrictions on attendance and speaking at board meetings. The same policy violates open door laws for public school board meetings. When minutes discrepancies are reported, they remain unchanged. Minutes are not handed out to parents or the public, but promised to be available with no less than a 60 day delay.

This has resulted in an atmosphere of intimidation rather than a peaceful growth learning opportunity.

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