Our family had a deeply troubling experience at John Adams Elementary School during the 2023-2024 school year, specifically with my son's kindergarten teacher, Mr. Kuehl.
From the very first weeks of school in August and September 2023, my son began expressing distress about his classroom environment. He often told me that his teacher yelled at him and his classmates.
I tried speaking with Mr. Kuehl on many occasions, but he was often irritable and dismissive. I once arranged to quietly observe my son's class; the teacher appeared visibly upset that I was present, stating that my presence "messes up the classroom dynamic." The principal, Ms. Decy Piña, later insisted that I volunteer at lunchtime instead, rather than in the classroom.
My son also reported telling Mr. Kuehl about another student hitting him, only to be told, "I don't care." The most upsetting incident occurred when my son came home crying, saying that Mr. Kuehl grabbed his lunch pail from his desk, threw it on the floor, and then yelled at him to pick it up. He described feeling both sad and scared.
I contacted the principal immediately after this incident, and my son was excused from multiple days of school until a meeting could be arranged with both the teacher and the principal. At that meeting, Mr. Kuehl denied all the allegations. The environment was tense, and I found his demeanor to be defensive and hostile, further reinforcing my concerns about his ability to regulate his emotions around young children. Principal Piña sat through the meeting emotionless.
This was my son's first year of kindergarten -- it should have been a positive learning experience, but instead, it was a nightmare. Not only were we navigating our first year of school, but I was also seven months pregnant, dealing with the stress the school brought on.
We ultimately decided to transfer my son to another school because Mr. Kuehl was the only English teacher. If we stayed, he would have been placed back in his classroom or moved into a dual-language class, which was not the right fit for him.
A few parents privately expressed concerns about this teacher to me, sharing that they knew of students who had been moved out of his class. After we left, another parent reached out to tell me that her son, still in that classroom, was experiencing the same, if not worse, treatment.
I never received an apology. I contacted the district, but they simply forwarded my complaint back to Ms. Piña, who never followed up with me.
Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this school without significant changes to staff training, communication, and accountability. Young children deserve a safe, respectful, and nurturing environment, unfortunately, that was not what we experienced here. read more
