I would like to explain the experience of being here at Acacia Academy. In Acacia Academy, I've…read moreexperienced difficulty with learning while dealing with PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD mostly. While being here, I've struggled even more. The classes with these two specific teachers have made it even more difficult for me to learn and to work. The teachers will follow me to the bathroom due to the fact I've cried in the bathroom multiple times and it has been a '"concern" to the staff members. I would also like to mention that I've gotten panic attacks in the bathroom too-because of my PTSD, and also feeling like I am not good enough for anyone in this school (staff members, teachers, and students.) It has really made me uncomfortable from the fact that the administrator has instructed the teachers to follow me to the bathroom to monitor for me crying, panicking, or talking badly about myself even when I had stopped now. I would also like to mention that the administrator assumes that every problem with a student is either stress, or anxiety. There was a time when I was on the bathroom floor from having a panic attack and I felt weak, I've told the social worker that I had a PTSD flashback, yet they had put me in a room with an administrator to just eat my lunch and apparently "give me time" is what the social worker said and put me back in class. I understand that social workers have to talk to other kids in school, but what makes these "social workers" think that putting me back in class was a fine thing to do? Every time that I've talked to these "social workers," and discuss about how this school has made my mental state worse, yet they encourage me to keep going to this school. I've never felt more disgusted, hatred, and anger in my life from how a "social worker" would convince me that it is required to keep going here while my mental state is getting worse day by day while coming to this school. Keep in mind, I am really struggling with suicidal thoughts right now at the moment and I have to do an online hospitalization program. The teachers continue to stack up on work, while knowing that I will not be able to do some of these assignments at home because I have to do an online hospitalization program. I've never felt more pressured in my life than ever when wanting to have good grades, to get my work done, while I feel that the teachers and staff have absolutely NO awareness about the fact that I won't be able to have enough time to turn in all these assignments on time because of my online hospitalization program. Dealing with my mental health and education is absolutely exhausting, but yet-the teachers continue to give me stacks of work while I'm having to do the online hospitalization program at the same time. I've tried talking to the social workers here, but I've noticed that social workers tend to go straight to the negatives when it comes to certain talks, but never find the positivity in things that could happen if I made changes for coming to this school. Another thing is that a social worker was hoping for me to go to a partial hospitalization program *in-person*, but I told her that I was doing it *online* and she gave me a disappointed look and said, "I was hoping you would go in-person." I felt that it was completely unnecessary that she had to give a comment like that for the choices my parents make to try to help me. The social workers will always tell you, "I'm glad you came today!" Sure! You're glad that I came today to this school, but do I feel that I'm glad I came today? Absolutely not, in reality, I feel like I am forced to be in this school and suffer more each day as I continue to come here. Sometimes I don't even have a choice from whether I should come to school or not, my parents mostly make the decision to whether I can stay home or not. Attendance really matters here, because if you don't come to class for a certain amount of days, you will be held back. I feel even more pressured that I am *required* to come to this school every week without being able to give myself time to stabilize myself, yet I will have to continuously live a dreadful loop for coming here to this school and suffer even more. This school needs to have more awareness on how students feel and need to know what they're struggling with. This school may seem that it's "accommodating" and "helpful," but I feel that the school has barely accommodated anything for me as a student who wants to be successful. Oh! And also, this school told me to take my other rating down because they're afraid of people seeing the truth for what it's like to come here.

When I was sitting in an IEP meeting for my child in our normal school district I was gutted when…read morethey recommended placement out of district. I mean, how could this be? His diagnosis is manageable in public school. It happens everyday. I knew the teachers didn't understand him, and didn't care to. I knew they were mean to him but I fought to keep him in regular school because I wanted him to be with friends in the neighborhood and I didn't want the stigma attached to being sent out of district. His school district turned the screws and fought harder to get him out by destroying his self esteem. Ultimately I agreed to placement out of district to save my son's sanity. Enter Acacia. I was apprehensive at first. Everyone was so nice. I didn't think this could be real after everything we'd been through. But guess what? It IS amazing! My son loves going to school here. He feels valued as a human being and an individual. They teach him at the speed he's comfortable with. Every day that I ask him how his day was he says, "GREAT". I used to be scared to ask him how his day was. My stomach would flip when I saw an email from his school. Those days are over for us. Acacia is where it's at. Everyone knows what they're doing and I regret fighting our school district. He went from someone who was being shamed daily and punished for a neurological problem to someone who has his self esteem and happiness back. He has A's and B's and they LIKE him. I highly recommend Acacia. If you're checking reviews like I was, I know you're not in a good place right now. Hang in there moms and dads. Meet with Acacia as one of your options. You may be scared but everything will be ok - especially if this is where your child ends up.