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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Jasper County schools live up to reputation

IslandPacket newsroom@islandpacket.com
I worked as a special education teacher for five years in the Jasper County School District. Before teaching in that district, I spoke with many people from the community. I heard many negative and even disparaging comments about the schools in the entire district, including the Hardeeville campus. However, I still decided to come. After starting my teaching there, I then found out that everything I had heard was true.

I was in shock at the inappropriate conduct and the disrespect displayed by the students. I witnessed chaotic classrooms and hallways on a daily basis. It was like being "in the trenches" during World War I.

I was amazed at how little any of the administrators from the principals up to the special services administrators at the district level were ever seen in the classrooms or in the hallways of the schools. All of this created a disorderly and chaotic atmosphere for both the students and the teachers.

I am thrilled that I retired last August. After my five years of being a teacher on the Ridgeland campus, I understand what the net result of the daily chaos and disorder is. The Jasper County public school system has the lowest student test scores in the entire state of South Carolina. When compared to the student test scores in its adjacent school districts, the Jasper County School District seems like the "hole in a doughnut."

Pamela Galloway

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Letter: Jasper County schools live up to reputation."

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