My wife and I enrolled both children in the TK program at Heights Christian Schools. Our daughter…read moredid very well academically and socially. Our son, who has a high-functioning ADHD diagnosis involving attention and focus challenges, required support adjusting to a structured classroom at age five.
Before TK, both children completed a closed-door assessment at Heights while we waited outside. We received general feedback afterward, but limited information about what was assessed, how it was conducted, or how conclusions were reached.
During TK, Heights permitted an outside aide, arranged by my wife & I, to accompany our son and assist with classroom expectations. His challenges were not academic. At times, he might get up when expected to remain seated, wander or elope from the group, or need support with transitions. He was not violent or aggressive, had no disciplinary history, completed the year successfully, participated with classmates, and received awards.
Although Heights permitted the outside aide during TK, we later caught a drift that continuing with an aide into Kindergarten was not something the school wished to accommodate, raising questions about its comfort with students requiring visible one-to-one support.
We remained in communication with Ms. Sutton about Kindergarten accommodations, accepted re-enrollment during the stated period, and were told the matter would be reviewed with upper administration, so we waited for guidance.
On the day of a school event, my wife was on campus with then-principal Ms. Sutton. No concern about re-enrollment was communicated. Later that evening, both children were removed from re-enrollment through the parent portal with no prior phone call, meeting, email, warning, or explanation. This included our daughter, who had been doing very well there.
The following year, our children attended another school for Kinder. Our son continued performing very well academically and scored among the strongest in his grade on standardized testing.
After Kinder, we considered homeschool, and Heights Home School was suggested. Despite our prior experience, we were willing to consider it separately.
My wife and her mother met with the person overseeing the homeschool program. The meeting was positive. They remembered our kids and spoke favorably of them. Our children toured the program, saw former TK classmates, and understood they might return to Heights a couple days each week.
We understood enrollment was proceeding. When the registration link did not work, the matter was referred to current principal Ms. Carlos.
Although the principal had changed, the discussion raised many of the same feelings as our prior experience.
Ms. Carlos referred to our son's previous history at Heights and whether the school could "serve his needs." It became apparent Heights had retained records from his TK year and was still considering them nearly two years later.
I understand schools maintain student records; our concern was the apparent weight placed on that "history."
Our son was five, and the issues involved attention, occasional elopement, getting up when expected to remain seated, and adapting to classroom routines. He was academically capable, had no disciplinary history, completed the year successfully, and had originally been proceeding through re-enrollment.
If Heights considered him a significant behavioral concern, there would have been no agreement/offer of re-enrollment. There was no disciplinary meeting, warning that his enrollment was at risk, or indication his TK history would carry such weight in current homeschool enrollment decisions.
In recent homeschool discussions, my wife explained how much both children progressed academically, including that they were already working on multiplication during Kinder. According to my wife, Ms. Carlos sneerily chided, "What did _______ (school) teach that Heights could not?"
We were then informed our son would need another assessment at Heights without a parent observing. Given the 2024 closed-door assessment and the role his TK history was already playing, we asked whether my wife could observe from outside the room. We were told she could not.
We chose not to proceed under those circumstances. NOTE: Enroll your children where they will be loved. My son's vice (ADHD) is a strike against him per HCS, which used it as a bureaucratic shield.
Our concerns are transparency, communication, the apparent reluctance to continue allowing outside one-to-one support, and how ADHD history is used in enrollment decisions.
HCS may be an appropriate fit for many families. Our daughter did well there, & our son had positive experiences with his TK teacher, a substitute teacher he loved, and classmates.
I am sharing our experience so other parents whose children may require additional support or accommodations can ask informed questions before enrolling.
