All the credit goes to the teachers of this school. They do a fantastic job.

My nephew, who has Asperger's Syndrome, went to this school for 3 years and the faculty and staff had no idea how to handle the situation. This school is the special ed hub for Decatur City Schools and they failed him. I realize that his situation was unique, but instead of confessing they had no idea what to do, they acted in the most unprofessional manner. Luckily, my sister found a school with teachers and administrators who were willing to work with him to help him reach his full potential.

It's nice to see teachers and staff given credit.

@Calhoun, just wanting to know for my own good... What school did your sister send him too?

Calhoun, every child with Asperger's is different, they have so many special needs children, it is impossible to give each one the attention they deserve!

Hey Calhoun sorry your nephew has Aspergers, but that is a devastating malady I know several people who have had children with this , some were violent to the point of having to be .commited. Don't blame the school it is near impossible to deal with sometimes.

Two of my children were elementary students at Somerville Road Elementary School. I have a niece and nephew who attended SRES, also. I have to commend the teachers and staff for the wonderful job they do every day. Not only do they have a large number of special needs children, but they have had to grow and change with the influx of the Hispanic population over the last ten to fifteen years. The teachers and staff had to adjust and adapt to the ever changing classroom setting and learn to teach two classes, one for English speaking students and one for the non-English speaking Hispanic students. All this had to be done in regular class time, teaching our elementary students to read, write, count the basics of education is hard enough, but imagine having to do this with children who speak no English at all. No one can imagine the sacrifices, the dedication and frustration the staff had to endure to make this happen while reaching the level of teaching they have to get to this point. It takes an incredible amount of patience, love and dedication to become the first Title I school in the Nation gain Leader in Me Lighthouse status! My ten year old was at SRES when they received this status. To have dealt with the teachers and staff over all these years and to see their hard work pay off with such an award was incredible to me. I can remember reading an article while my youngest was at school that 95% or so of the student body received free or reduced lunches. That is an incredible number of students at the poverty level and sometimes these students have major obstacles, challenges and disadvantages that the staff has to deal with because of this. I know because my own children were part of this 95% group, at the time. The staff at SRES were like family, they took care of our children like their own. We have moved away from Decatur twice, so my children have been through several school systems and never in the past ten years have I ever had the wonderful experiences we had at SRES. No other school ever compared at any level to the curriculum, parent/teacher/student involvement, love, and personal attention as Somerville Road Elementary. If they saw a child without a coat, they would come up with one for that child to wear home. If they saw a need, they found a way to come up with whatever that need was for that child. You could never imagine, in this day and time, what a wonderful experience it was, as a parent, to have and see such caring staff teach and love each and every child. Kudos to the staff, they are wonderful and deserving of much more. More schools should strive for this level of teaching and caring!