Hamish Eisler review: Libel, Slander 16

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Eisler:
First, I wish to say I am deeply saddened you have taken offense at our terminating your daughter's enrollment at our school. As our website states, I have been a Montessori educator for more than 30 years.

At Ponderosa Montessori, the education, health and safety of our students are and will always be our primary concern. My staff and I have worked very hard with Ansley to make her preschool experience a pleasurable one. However, as you know, we have had one disciplinary problem after another with Ansley since her enrollment in our program last year.

My staff and I have had numerous conversations with you about Ansleys defiant and destructive behavior. You have been told many times Ansley was not following our code of conduct. When children repeatedly misbehave they naturally jeopardize the health and safety of fellow students.

Ansley began her enrollment in May 2012. We typically afford new students a 3 6 month adjustment period. However, by October 2012 Ansley was still unable to follow classroom rules and adult direction. Ansley repeatedly destroyed her own school work and the school work of fellow students. Ansley tore up books, chewed up pencils, wrote on the walls, tables, and chairs and repeatedly damaged expensive Montessori materials. It was at that time we began documenting her acts of misconduct and notifying you.

In October, I personally spoke with you about Ansley's misconduct. Your response was you had ADD as a child, so maybe Ansley has a little of what (you) had. At that time you gave your verbal permission for us to record Ansley's misconduct so you could gain a better understanding of the nature of our complaints.

That same month, Ansley took a crayon and marked up her chest so aggressively that bruising occurred. We were video graphing the serious incident just as Sarah arrived. Please note Ansley is on record harming herself. Your wife Sarah can be heard on the tape talking to Ansley as she admitted abusing herself in class.

On October 30, 2012, while seated at the snack table with fellow students, Ansley spit on the table and smeared her spit all across the table with her hands. As a result, all students had to be moved from the table and the table sanitized. At first, Ansley blamed the unsanitary incident on a fellow student. Everyone saw her smear the spit. When asked again she admitted to the incident. This admission was also recorded.

Later that same day, Ansley intentionally dumped her entire lunch plate on the carpeted floor. At pickup that day, I explained to your wife Sarah that Ansley's behavior is far beyond the average age-appropriate naughtiness; that Ansley's incessant refusal to follow adult instructions, her frequent temper tantrums, and her deliberate attempts to upset and harm other students were all classic signs of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. I gave Sarah an ODD informational printout. Sarah signed the incident form and acknowledgement of receipt of the printout.

On November 7, Ansley scratched one student on the leg.
During playtime on the same day, Ansley picked up a wood chip and scratched a fellow student on the arm. I have written reports on file from both students outlining their injuries.

At pickup that day while Sarah was telling Ansley she should not scratch fellow students or destroy their work, Ansley stood on the rug and peed right in front of your wife. Your online review of our school states: "She had a few (2-3) potty accidents where she peed while crying. Our interpretation was that this was her losing control while emotional. Their take was that it was somehow intentional, and I quote "jeopardizes the health and safety of other students".

However, when my daughter later talked to you about the peeing-in-front-of-your wife incident, you admitted that when placed in timeout at home Ansley urinates on herself out of defiance. The school environment is not the place for a student to become emotional thereby losing control and urinating on themselves in response to being re-directed in there misconduct.

On November 20, 2012, we called Sarah at work and requested she come take Ansley home for the day because Ansley went into the bathroom, defecated and then smeared feces on the bathroom walls, floor and step stool. (We have photographic documentation of this incident.) Your wife's response to this incident was Well, that's normal. All kids play in their poop.

On January 15, 2013 Sarah signed a disciplinary form because Ansley was cited for spitting on other children.

That same day at evening pickup Ansley sat in her chair and urinated on herself as soon as her mother entered into the classroom to pick her up. She then threw a tantrum and your wife had to forcibly remove her to take her home. On January 22, 2013 shortly after Sarah dropped her off in the morning, Ansley sat in her chair and urinated on herself again. Sarah had just left the doorway. We called her on the phone and asked her to return to the school. Sarah said Ansley was upset that morning and did not want to come to school because she wanted to stay home and play dress up. Ansley’s pattern and habit of urination is no accident. And contrary to your review assertion: intentionally urinating on a carpeted learning environment does indeed pose a health and safety hazard for other students. The carpeted Montessori classroom is no place for a child who repeatedly urinates in the learning environment because she cannot have her way.

On January 23, 2013, while in the bathroom, Ansley tore the metal towel rack from the bathroom wall. The rack was so badly twisted it was rendered unusable. Photos of the damage were sent to you to as notice payment would be required from you for the cost of replacement and installation of a new towel rack. (We have video documentation of Ansley admitting to destroying the towel rack.)

Based on Ansley’s prior history of spitting on, poking, hitting and scratching students with foreign objects, the damaged metal rack posed an immediate danger to the health and safety of our students. She could have easily poked another student's eye out.

So, it is for all of the above referenced reasons (and others that are too numerous to mention) that Ansley’s enrollment at Ponderosa Montessori was terminated by me on Wednesday, January 23, 2013.

We did not address the towel rack incident with you at pickup on January 23, 2013, because you were intent on discussing other matters. Yet, we clearly told you we would telephone you later that same evening after you calmed down. When we called Sarah and you a short time later, neither of you answered the phone. Hence, the incident notification and notice of dismissal via email. Please rest assured my staff and I did everything possible to help Ansley acclimate to our Montessori environment. And despite her outrageously poor conduct we opted to keep her in our care longer than her conduct warranted because we saw her potential and we hoped the best for her. Under Ansley’s particular set of circumstances, the health and safety of all other students made your daughter’s immediate dismissal prudently necessary. Regarding your claims that I prematurely reported Ansley’s missing folder to the police department: As I explained to you on January 23, 2013, Ansley’s folder not only contained her confidential registration information, but confidential disciplinary reports, photos of Ansley (from 11/20/12 when she smeared feces all over the bathroom) both Sarah’s and your personal information, including places of employment, banking information, copies of your personal checks, and your social security number. (Did you forget I recently filled out tax information for you? Your tax form contained your social security number.) My immediate report to the police was a precautionary measure to protect you from identity theft. Your assertion that my daughter and I “cross-examined” you is untrue. Your statement that officer Matthews instructed you to “return the folder immediately” is a misrepresentation of truth. I heard his conversation with you when I was at the station filing the report. He asked if you had “taken the folder by accident.” I know the folder was clearly labeled with Ansley's name. The folder was left in a personnel area that parents do not normally have access to. Therefore any removal of the folder would not have been an honest mistake. Your subsequent actions have made it very clear you have issues with honesty and integrity. You fraudulently created a Ponderosa Montessori email address and illegally posed as the owner of Ponderosa Montessori to create a YELP business page in the name of my school. You then accessed your personal YELP profile to register an inaccurate, libelous and defamatory 1-star review of my school. You also created an unauthorized link to my website and posted unauthorized photos of my school interior. You have published the same inaccurate and defamatory review on other consumer websites. Your actions hold you open to being sued for fraud, defamation and libel. I am very sorry you chose to end our business relationship on such a maliciously vengeful and sour note. My staff and I sincerely wish the best for Ansley, Sarah and you. Sincerely