Parents upset after 3 veteran teachers forced out of Morrisville charter school

Parents are organizing over concerns that veteran teachers are being forced out of a charter school in Morrisville.

Three veteran teachers at Sterling Montessori Academy did not have their contracts renewed.

"I love the school, and I've been so dedicated for so many years," said Nicole Raquet, a former teacher at Sterling Montessori Academy. Even though Raquet had been with the school nearly since its inception, for 23 years, she was told her contract would not be renewed for the upcoming school year.

Raquet was supposed to finish out the school year, but instead, she was fired two weeks ago, she said.

"It's heartbreaking. I don't know if it feels hurtful or disrespectful," she said. "I didn't get to say goodbye to my students."

Parents are planning to speak Wednesday at the Laura Holland Uzzell Foundation board meeting, the foundation which governs Sterling Montessori Academy.

"I was shocked by the fact that there were three teachers whose contracts were not being renewed, all at the same time," said Mickaella Guarascio, a parent who has three children enrolled at the academy.

Guarascio, along with 267 other parents, have signed an online petition asking the academy's school board to reconsidering these decisions.

"They have all been there for a long time, and it's very concerning that we're losing veteran, beloved teachers," she said.

Sterling Montessori Academy's school profile shows that there are 736 students enrolled, including around 200 students in Pre-k and kindergarten, and 89 full-time staff and faculty members.

Raquet said that the school administration recently started judging teachers based off a series of metrics she didn't fit into. The school asked her to adjust parts of her teaching, which she did, according to Raquet.

According to Raquet, the school administration told her she was a good teacher, and had an impact on their community, but that "with the path that the school was taking, [she] didn't fit in."

She believes she was terminated for speaking out against the administration's decision to not renew her contract.

"I love this school, and I've been so dedicated for so many years, I feel like that's my second home," she said. "I was not going to let an admin chase me out, or metrics that they've put in place recently to tell me what kind of teacher I am."

Elizabeth Uzzell, president of the foundation governing Sterling Montessori Academy, told WRAL News that the board cannot comment on personnel matters.

Six school administrators and all board members did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

WRAL News also obtained an email from the school that told staff members to not speak to the news media.