Leslie T.
Yelp
As an LAUSD graduate I believe I have some say in these issues. I have been to my fair share of poorly run schools due office staff or administration members treating other human beings with little respect or dignity but SOCES takes the cake. From lazy administration members who cannot take three minutes out of their day to speak to a students family member to office staff giving contradictory information to guidance counselors who cannot do their job, this school has countless issues.
Let me give you a few examples so you get an idea of my experience with this god forsaken school. For context I am a graduate from 2016 and my younger siblings now attend SOCES though I did not (thankfully)
1. At the beginning of spring semester, my little sister came home and informed me that she was placed into the same elective as last semester. (She was suppose to cycle into a different one). No big deal I thought. It can happen sometimes when counselors have to program hundreds of students at once. So I went in to inform her counselor of the mistake. Her response? "Yea I know. Most of my students have that problem because I emailed their teachers for a roster and they never emailed me back. So I just put the students wherever. She'll just have to retake that class." Wow...talk about being lazy and taking the easy way out. I was so dumbfounded that I did not know how to respond. I can see the work ethic the school wants to promote and instill in its students.
2. Have you ever sat in an office for 20 minutes to just to speak to someone for 2 minutes? I had to because I needed to pick up my younger brother who was visibly sick and coughing up a lung. I waited patiently for 20 minutes for a administration member to inform him of the situation. At which time I inquired an office member for how am estimate of how much longer I would have to wait. He told me I could go next door to see if I could talk to said administration member. So I did. Come to find this admin station member in his office. He may or may not have been doing anything. I don't know. Anyways I see him in his office. Door open. But I still inform the ladies in the front that I am here to speak with a certain person. They are confused. So I repeat myself and they say "I'm not sure if he's here right now"( ...um...I see him...right there...with his door open... but whatever I don't make it a big deal). What bothers me most however is throughout this 45 second exchange, I look over at him, we make eye contact, and he then acts like I don't exist continuing with his menial task. Look I get it if he was in the middle of writing a sentence or something but at least a quick gesture to acknowledge another human being who has called out your name would be great. A quick "be there in a minute" or something. This is again 20 minutes after another office never has already informed him that I was waiting to speak with him.
3. A year or two ago my family and I had the unfortunately opportunity to interact with another administration member of this school. In short it did not go well. The situation came off a tad discriminatory but guess what. We were informed by other teachers and office staffers to not press the issue as "we did not want to get on the bad side of this administration member." Apparently this person was known to make the experience of students and families uncomfortable as she was basically in charge of the elementary students at this school. We were warned to be careful as we had two students at the school under her authority.
This school has cause a lot of headache and trouble in my family. We are constantly running back and forth in attempts to solve simple issues and the staff treat people with such little regards it's ridiculous. It seems to be in a constant state of disorganization and confusion. I'm sure there a lot of great people who work here, but the ones that you have to interact with on a regular basis (nurse, attendance, guidance etc.,) aren't stellar. If you plan on a to send your child to this school, you better be ready for a roller coaster.