National Heritage Academies Corporate Office & Headquarters

My child has attended Endeavor charter academy from to 4th now. Every year more rules and policies have come into play. This school believes it is better than all other and we should be blessed to part of it. Its not true. This school will try and take your rights as a parent away from you. We have heard threats of truancy officers being contacted with or without medical excuses. Police being contacted if parents do not park in designated areas. And because no buses are provided at this school all student must be dropped off and picked up by parents. This makes the parking lot very very dangerous. Some of us parents have been going into the school 5-10 minutes earlier than others and with the permission of teachers getting our kids out early to avoid the parking problems. Now the principle with the napoleon complex has exercised his authority by locking all hall doors and not allowing us to be in the building. Now we are pulling our kids out of this school because of him endangering our children's lives. We contacted the Fire department and the chief says its not against and safety code having locked doors that only open one way without a key. Even knowing we do not approve of this the doors are still locked, all to show us who is the boss..This school seems more and more like a communist camp than a school. This school is making stuff up as it goes and I for one am not going to let my child become an experiment.

My children were a tiny minority at RTCA. Research Triangle Charter Academy is a school in Durham, NC but it is based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. When I had trouble with the school and the principle wouldn’t help I went to the parent liaison in the Michigan office. She assured me the bullying would stop, that they had a zero-tolerance policy, and she (Linda Conlisk) seemed very upset. However, when I called a week later she had done nothing for my girls. The principle predictably defended her teachers, blamed the victim, and the liaison was deflected with ease and perhaps relief. My girls did not see ethnicity when they entered that school as kindergarteners and I hoped school policy would uphold this. The staff did outwardly, however my daughters were made to feel unwelcome over time. My youngest even heard some kids slurring white children in general. My oldest usually had straight A‘s. In fourth grade a mistake gave her a B for the first quarter. I brought this to their attention and was assured the mistake would be corrected. The grade was never changed, my daughter was left out of a pizza party at the end of the year for other year-long “A” students, the grade wasn’t fixed and later we were told it was too late to do so--even though we had been requesting the change for a year and a half! My youngest suffered much worse. Her teacher looked out for some students and not others. A boy was allowed to bully her throughout third grade--calling her names daily, throwing things at her, and making ugly faces. Her teacher did nothing to help and she was left to fend for herself! I was in the office, constantly advocating for her with no lasting result. Finally I asked the child to leave her alone and was consequently banned from the school! His mother suddenly took to volunteering in class and scowling at my girl, regularly. When she asked for help because this adul! t wasintimidating her, she was told not to look at her! Not until the mother yelled at her did help come. My daughter’s teacher was finally forced to help her. My girl, instead of the bully, was moved to a new homeroom and finally a protective environment. Her next teacher enjoyed her and had no problems with her just as her instructors from previous grades hadn‘t. I would’ve home-schooled her before sending her back there this year but we were fortunate enough to get her into Central Park School this year. They are caring, nurturing, and encouraging. I wish I had the foresight to do the this sooner. I imagine some NHA schools are good. But I am writing to warn parents, if your child ends up in a National Heritage school that lets them down you really cannot rely on the Grand Rapids headquarters or their “liaisons” to back them up regardless of what they claim to stand for. I can be reached at (919) 349-7720

I just yanked my child out of Lansing charter academy in lansing michigan because Mr. thompson and his brewd of teachers lied on me and the principle approached me with anger and hostility that created a hostile environment. They do not practice those so called morals and value statements they have. The way they block parents from coming in to check on their own child rases a red flag. Nonetheless how does the principle talk down to a parent as though they do not matter? Mr. Thompson is very non professional. There are more than a few families leaving that school because it is said the staff is inexperienced and overwhelmed. They also have bullying issues going on now too.

My child attends Heritage Academies in Lansing Michigan on West Saginaw, for the past five years. The violence, the bullying and low academics, are just part of the problems at this school. Mr. T. is doing a poor job in controlling the fights. There are daily fights and no one is being punished. Mr. Whipple would at lease control the fights - Mr. T just looks the other way. The academics progress is very behind for most children. I think this school is surely going to become a school of the past - because I have seen the change in the past five years. If you do not believe some of the points I'm pointing out get out and ask the parents. There are several teacher dating each other and the students are aware of it. Mr. VanNorman dating two different teachers, very unprofessional.

I came home today and was very disappointed with National Heritage Academies (Knapp Academy). I had to go out of state on Monday and I did not return home until this morning. I had a family situation that I had to attend to. I did not know that if my daughter did not attend school on Tuesday that she would loose her seat. Well, she lost her seat for not attending the first day of class. I thought that when I filled out the lottery papers at the end of the school year in order to hold her seat was all that I needed to do to ensure that she would return this year. Also, two weeks ago I filled out all her schools forms for her re-entry, ensuring the school that she was returning. I feel this is very unfair! I have gone over all the paperwork I have and I do not see this regulation on any of my paperwork. I think this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I thought I had a relationship with this school because I volunteered often during the last school year, but I guess I did not.