About nine parents of Alice Deal Junior High School students met with District of Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey on Wednesday in a session long sought by the parents to discuss the behavior of Deal Principal Melissa Kim.
A small group of Deal parents, calling themselves Save Alice Deal, has held protests against Kim outside the school, located in Ward 3, since April 25. The parents say she has suspended and targeted children unfairly and has physically and verbally abused students.
After the 90-minute meeting, Janey said he met with Kim earlier in the day, and he told parents he would try to come to some sort of resolution on the matter after graduation in June.
“There’s a review and an investigation going on, and we had a good meeting,” said Janey, who also confirmed that the record of suspensions at the school wasn’t “pretty.”
“We’re skeptical, but encouraged, but we’re mostly encouraged,” said LaCrisha Butler, a Save Alice Deal parent who participated in the meeting. “The process has been slow, but it appears to be working.”
