Alpine District under fire over math and discipline

PLEASANT GROVE — A parent group will meet with an Alpine School District official today to discuss concerns over a math program and leadership at Manila Elementary.

The parents say some Manila teachers diminish traditional math education in favor of the district's math program — Investigations in Number, Data and Space. The parents also believe discipline at the school is too strict and allege some children are made to eat lunch on the floor of the principal's office as a disciplinary measure for misbehaving.

A letter signed by 34 parents was given to members of the school board on Tuesday.

John Burton, the administrator who will meet with the parents, considers the meeting routine. He said Manila teachers have been successful at integrating traditional math with the Investigations curriculum.

Manila principal Canda Mortensen said the parent group represents a small number of the more than 500 families whose 800 children attend the Pleasant Grove school.

The letter distributed to board members contends the school's environment is not welcoming, that children feel "stupid," are forced to stay outside in harsh weather during recess and are punished inappropriately for minor offenses. The letter also requests a "change in leadership attitudes at Manila Elementary."

"Parents and students have experienced (school) administrators as authoritarians, not as enthusiastic facilitators and leaders," the letter states.

Alpine teachers have used the math Investigations program for about three years. TERC, a nonprofit education research organization based in Cambridge, Mass., developed an approach to math in which students learn to find methods to solve math problems. It does not advocate using rote memorization.

The parents' letter states that students lack confidence in the teachers. The parents also believe teachers lack proper training and that the exclusive use of Investigations ignores different styles of learning.

Room was provided at the bottom of the letter for parents to make individual comments, said parent Scott Belliston.

"We didn't want people signing a letter for the sake of signing a letter," he said.

Korman King, who signed the letter, said he home-schooled one of his children for a time because of frustration with discipline methods at the school. He said they made his child feel hopeless.