Here’s an odd story that seems to revolve around truth in advertising.
The Beverly-Center Elementary School in the Fort Frye School District earned an “excellent” rating for the 2008-09 school year. And like any proud school/district, the banner trumpeting their triumph was hung over the school door.
The following year (2009-10) when the school ratings were announced, Beverly-Center slipped just a bit and their rating was downgraded to “effective.” No excellent rating, no new banner.
Understandably, parents are upset.
No, they’re not really upset about the drop in rating. What seems to have people up in arms is that the old excellent banner is still flying high above the school’s door.
The Marietta Times reports the story of of a school that apparently does not believe in “truth in advertising.”
It’s been nearly two years since a report card released by the Ohio Department of Education ranked Beverly-Center Elementary School as an Excellent school but the banner celebrating the achievement still flies over the building’s entryway.
The state rankings released in August 2009 designated the state excellent, based on achievement test scores, but the next year Beverly-Center’s designation was lowered to Effective.
Some parents are complaining that the banner is misleading and needs to come down.
Waterford resident Jami Overly said she spoke with the school’s secretary in September, expressing her concerns that the sign still hung in the school, despite the fact that it was no longer accurate.
“The principal was in the back office and they went in there and talked about it then she came out and said what the principal said (that it would be taken down),” Overly said. “It obviously wasn’t the truth because it’s still up there.”
Overly said she was told in September that the school’s janitor just hadn’t had time to take the banner down. She said she hasn’t asked about it since then.
“I could tell they felt really uncomfortable when I talked to them the first time,” she said.
Calls to the school’s principal and Fort Frye’s superintendent were not returned Wednesday.
Overly, who has one child enrolled at Beverly-Center, said leaving the banner up is a bad example.
“It’s been months now and it’s still hanging up and I thought, ‘What kind of example is that for the kids?,’” she said “Is that OK for the kids to change their grade to an ‘A’ just because they used to get an ‘A?’”
Fort Frye Board of Education member Lisa Perry said she hasn’t heard any complaints about the banner, but believes it should be taken down.
“I noticed it’s still hanging there and I don’t know why,” she said. “That takes the credit from the other two schools – it’s their time to shine.”
Perry was referring to Lowell and Salem-Liberty Elementary schools, both of which received Excellent ratings in the report cards released last year.
Beverly resident Rachel Brister, who has three children enrolled at Beverly-Center, said it’s not a “huge deal” that the banner still hangs at the school, but she does think it needs to be removed.
“If somebody from the outside would come in and see it, it would be a little misleading,” she said.
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