ShannonAlbert.com - June 2009

Payton is going to a new high school next year and the school has been very proactive in getting planning done early. Our kids have been enrolled, they are choosing their mascot, their colors and the parents are on an email list to receive updates.

I really love the use of email by the school because it's convenient and I don't have to worry about not getting the voicemail they leave or losing a note sent home from school. However, the school hasn't been very professional in knowing how to use email.

It started last year when the school sent out a few things here and there via email and put every single parent in the To: line of the email. I replied back that they should at least BCC us because if somebody (or many people) hit Reply to All, we'd all get flooded with messages. The emails were being sent from an admin and she replied with an apology that she was just figuring things out. Fair enough. She corrected it next time and seemed to have the system down.

Fast forward to this school year when the principal for Payton's new school decides he is going to take over the email list. Oh boy.

Once again, we're all on the To: list. Except this time, I'm not brave enough to reply and correct him. I'd never do anything to upset somebody that could also affect Payton (maybe he'd pick her out as the kid with the mouthy mom and be mean to her?). In fact, in elementary school, I used to call Payton's school anonymously to complain about a teacher that was clearly out of line and needed to be corrected. They would only talk to me if I left my name and my child's name. I wouldn't do it.

So I didn't reply to Mr. Principal to let him know of his faux pas and he continues to email everybody all at once.

Then he decides to send out a link last month to some local screen printing shops alerting us of the availability of t-shirts and other merchandise with the new school logo on them. Fantastic! I was so excited to get something for Payton with her new school on it. Except when I showed up, the shop said he had literally just dropped of the artwork with the mascot on it and they had nothing to sell and it would be some time. They were bombarded by people like me who were on the mailing list and excited. They were frustrated and unprepared.

Then came the test emails we all got from the principal. Not too big of a deal except it's slightly unprofessional to have a test sent to everybody.

Then, the worst email offense I can think of. Anybody who knows me knows that I HATE email forwards. Hate, HATE, hate, hate, hate them. I have no problems replying to the whole list to say how the thing you sent me is false with a link to snopes.com proving it. If the email contains anything about angels or inspiration, I will likely block your email address (confession time: I've blocked my own dad for forwarding so many emails but removed the block later). So the principal sends out an email forward of an "inspirational video" to the whole list.

O.M.G.

The desire to reply to him was very strong as it always is with me but I did not do anything. I just couldn't believe it. Does he think we are his buddies?

Apparently other parents aren't as chicken as I am because he got complaints which spawned an email containing this text:

I have, however, been chastised for my failure to communicate in a more professional manner and not presenting my communication complete with a website and links, even though that website does not exist yet. I have also been taken to task for promoting religion after sending out what I perceived as a simply inspirational video. I can only anticipate that more people will find fault with my efforts and rather than create more problems I will simply suspend the use of [email] as a form of communication. From this point on I will attempt to communicate to the students during the school day and with parents via district communication.

Thank you to all of you who have been supportive. As with most things it is the minority that often ruins things for the majority.

Wow. He's behaving like the very kids in his building.

Then, tonight, we get an email from the parents who took all of our email addresses from his emails and wrote one to us all.

Part of that email:

If you agree, with the excellent communication that Mr. ***** has sent via [email] in the past then I suggest you stand up and be heard. This is a democracy and the MAJORITY needs to stand up and be heard or the minority will continue to take away our rights. If those on this list of names do not want to receive the [email] then let that be known and your email address can be removed. Do not take away others rights to receive communication via email from your child’s principal, Mr. ***** that has your child’s best interests at heart.

Oh boy. The parents are as crazy as the principal it seems.

So Andy and I are contemplating if we should get involved in some way. I'd like to tell the principal that his behavior is unprofessional and that he shouldn't blame it on parents who complain but should rather change his own behavior. I'd like to email the parent back and tell him that parents didn't ruin it but the principal is just being a whiny baby.

Andy had an even better suggestion - set up another email account and send out a link to Two Girls, One Cup. That'll show 'em.

Update (Sunday at noon): We've received a few more emails from parents who replied to the whole list. I think we're up to 5 or 6 now. Nice.

Update 2: We ended up getting around 10-12 emails including a parent advertising their online business and the last one from the principal saying he will resume email communication. Glad we got that solved.