* UPDATE SINCE IVE GRADUATED OFFICIALLY FROM NEISD *
I'm 18 years old now and I wrote a review about bush when I was 14. While I still stand by my review, I didn't go into detail about what occurred because I was deep into trauma and mental turmoil due to the incidents involved on that campus.
Starting off in 6th grade, I was hazed endlessly by peers and even staff for being "too feminine". Instead of helping, the administration at this school disregarded my mental health altogether. If I did anything that was not in their standards, I was either punished or ignored for complaining about being bullied.
In 7th grade, I started to engage in self-harm and fell into a state of depression and anxiety that I was unaware of. I would come into school everyday with the mindset that I was going to be bullied and I wouldn't have any support if I decided to speak up. This was instilled because of the lack of care the administration had for students, typically POC or individuals with disabilities. I watched alot of my friends with learning disabilities get negatively criticized and even punished for "bad behavior".
Specifically, there was an incident where I was physically assaulted by multiple male students on campus, and when I went to report it, those students still roamed the halls and hazed others while I would get ISS for any altercation or incident where I was behaving inappropriately.
8th grade was manageable, because I understood the school didn't care for certain students and I unfortunately fell into that bias. I had one teacher in particular that would comfort me because she also understood the underlying motives the administration had against certain students, and tried her best to help those in need.
There was also 2 incidents on campus that involved a student bringing a firearm, and threatening the school. I personally saw alot of white students carry pocket knives and drugs on them, and were never considered suspicious or searched for their behavior and comments they would make.
The counselors at this school were helpful, however they were not confidential and revealed information to my parents that were unnecessary to announce. I understand counselors need to tell parents when they believe their child is a danger to themselves or others, however, the information told my parents was in fact not dangerous or threatening, but took a jab on their parenting styles and blamed their lack of care for the school's trauma-inducing incidents.
I've left out plenty of specific incidents that led to therapy, and while I don't think the environment is the same as it was 2015-2018, I still stand by a 1-star review that I don't think they deserve.
If your child is going to be attending a middle school soon, please consider online, private, or even a different local school for them, as they will not be enjoying their time at this school. read more