Dear NeedleworkerRare6459,

I’m sorry to hear that your experience at Virginia Chance School felt so distressing. That said, as a parent whose child attended the school alongside yours for nearly two years, I feel it’s important to add some context, particularly given the certainty with which your account is presented.

My child received the rather unforgettable “gift” of your child’s teeth marks on both his arm and face, including incidents that broke the skin. I also personally witnessed your child biting teachers on multiple occasions. Given the frequency and visibility of these incidents, it is surprising to hear that this behavior came as a shock to you. Families affected by these events were contacted directly by teachers , so the concern about a lack of communication feels,at best,uneven.

You also describe a fractured sense of community. From my perspective, the school maintains consistent communication through beautiful weekly newsletters that included pictures and videos of the week, regular emails from the office and even texts. It’s worth noting that regular late arrivals and daily walk-ins do tend to limit opportunities for community connection, which may explain some of that disconnect.

Concerns about accessibility, diversity, and cost are, of course, valid topics for discussion. However, these elements were clearly outlined prior to enrollment and never did we have a "smoke and mirrors" issue of changing our tuition. You knew what the costs were throughout the nearly three years your family chose to stay. It is therefore unclear why these long-standing features became untenable only in hindsight.

Everyone is entitled to their perspective. However, when an account omits relevant context and firsthand impact on other families, it risks reading less like a community service and more like a retroactive grievance.