BEWARE OF THE NEW PRINCIPAL FRANCIS AND THE INEXPERIENCED KINDERGARTEN TEACHER MS. DYRA. THEY WILL…read moreWORK TOGETHER AGAINST YOUR CHILD!!! PARENTS OF CHILDREN OF COLOR PLEASE ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CHILD AT IJP!!!!!
WWJD? Definitely not what this institution did. Of course I had to deal with the 2 new faces of IJP. The principal hired last March and the new Kindergarten teacher with only 2 years experience.
Parents deserve to know what happened to our son at Infant Jesus of Prague. After only a day and a half in kindergarten, we had no choice but to withdraw him because of the way he was treated. On the second day of school, just two hours after class began, he was sent to the principal's office and described as unable to communicate or make eye contact. This was a five-year-old child who had only met the staff the day before. To place him in the principal's office so quickly and apply such labels was not only premature but prejudicial, unprofessional, and emotionally harmful. Please keep in mind that the mother has a background in child development and Psychology.
There was nothing wrong with our son. He did what healthy children do. He spun on a bright rug, hugged me at drop-off, asked for help with his zipper, and had a small disagreement with a peer. These are completely normal behaviors for his age, yet they were mischaracterized as problems. My son knows how to zip a zipper. He may have been seeking Ms. Dyra's attention, just to see is she would help him. The teacher reported that he hit another child, while he told us the opposite. Instead of helping two children resolve a conflict, blame was placed squarely on him. When he sought comfort, he was reprimanded, even though other children were being comforted at the same time. This kind of inconsistent and unfair treatment creates stigma in the mind of a child who is just beginning his school journey.
Even more concerning, the principal asked us whether our son's doctor had ever reported behavioral issues. This was an intrusive and inappropriate question and a clear attempt to pathologize age-appropriate behavior. Our son's physician has never raised concerns. To suggest otherwise showed a lack of understanding of both child development and professional boundaries.
The lack of care extended beyond behavior. The teacher even sent us an email calling our son by the wrong name. A kindergartner's sense of identity and belonging is fragile. To misname a child reflects carelessness, not the nurturing and attention that five-year-olds deserve.
When our son was placed in the office, his father left work to pick him up against the principal's advice. That moment revealed the truth: our child's emotional well-being was not their priority. Later, when I came to formally withdraw him, the conversation centered not on his welfare but on a check. We care about the refund, but this was never about money. This was about a child being mislabeled, stigmatized, and made to feel unsafe in his very first school experience.
And I must ask, what would Jesus do? Jesus would not have mislabeled a kindergartner, called him by the wrong name, or isolated him in an office after only two hours of his second day. A Catholic school should embody patience, compassion, and understanding. Instead, what we experienced was judgment, rigidity, and a lack of care.
Parents, hear me clearly: there was nothing wrong with my child. The problem was the way he was treated. Infant Jesus of Prague showed weak leadership, poor developmental understanding, and emotionally unsafe practices. No five-year-old should ever be made to feel like something is wrong with them on their very first two days of school!! Beyond PREJUDICE, the attitudes were devilish and extremely cold! I understand why my child had anxiety and didn't talk to them. Lacking severe skills needed for transitioning kindergartners. Or any child that has not met them prior. Giving a child one day to transition is gatekeeping and stigmatizing to impressionable children.
