Rock Creek Teachers Release Anonymous Letter to the Public
A recent bombshell joint letter from teachers at Rock Creek Elementary School (RCES) was released this evening in response to mounting pressure in the community to address the lack of accountability and toxic leadership within the district. The letter was posted to a new advocacy website led by RCES teachers and parents called "Voice 4 Rock Creek”.
These statements have been provided anonymously due to the fear of retaliation.
"To the Tahoma School District: We have filled out the surveys year after year asking for your help. There is no room for error when we are responsible for the safety and learning of children. It is time for change and that starts with the immediate removal of Chris Thomas as principal of Rock Creek Elementary."
-RCES Teacher #16
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"I have observed staff posting valid concerns and being told by Chris that these concerns have been addressed and solved when they have not. These are concerns which directly affect student safety. I am not posting specifics for fear of retaliation.
This pattern of Chris ignoring valid staff concerns has led to a culture at Rock Creek where there is not a sense of confidence and support. This leads to negative and unsafe outcomes for students, impacts staff retention and morale, and leads to parents not trusting that Rock Creek is a safe place for their children."
-RCES Teacher #15
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"The level of control that Chris tries to have over the building creates a hostile environment. He fosters an atmosphere of secrecy and deceit, and often tries to pit teachers against each other. The climate and culture at Rock Creek has become unbearable. I strongly suggest action is taken, or the district will continue to have amazing teachers and paraeducators leaving in mass each year. "
- RCES Teacher #4
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"I have zero faith left in Chris’ ability or intentions. When I thought I was being heard or seen, I wasn’t. When I thought the micromanaging would stop, it only got worse. When I wanted support, it was never there.
Action is what is needed, not placated words."
-RCES Teacher #10
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"Chris consistently struggles with staying organized and managing his time effectively. Our meetings are challenging as we have to explain minor details or things that don't carry much significance, to allow him to be able to move forward. This can delay our progress and leaves us running out of time at each meeting. He seems to miss many points, and us teachers step in to fill in the gaps.
As the principal, there's an expectation that he advocates for our school's needs. We try to equip him with all the necessary information and ensure he is fully prepared, and then he struggles to articulate these needs when advocating for theme. Our school continues to thrive despite these challenges.
Patience and extra time are required to establish a good working relationship with him. At Rock Creek, we're accustomed to putting in extra effort, driven by our dedication to our students' education. Unfortunately, working with Chris has led to added mental and emotional impact by all of the additional time, effort and stress put upon the Rock Creek teachers.
As teachers, we work magic in spite of him. It would be great if we could have someone to work magic alongside us."
-RCES Teacher #17
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"When I was first hired to work at Rock Creek, I was incredibly excited. That excitement was shattered quickly through a variety of interactions that have involved myself and my colleagues over the years, all involving Chris Thomas. I would love to share more specifics, but at Rock Creek, we staff recognize the subtle retaliation that happens when someone speaks out.
Nevertheless, it is my belief that Chris falls short in demonstrating the competence and dedication required for his position. We have all learned the hard way, that Chris does what is best for Chris. Not the students, staff, teachers, or families.
It is well known that Chris has been under scrutiny with his practices over the last few years. From having district appointed mentors to unannounced drop-ins from district representatives, he was being watched. However, despite this extra push from the district, it has not improved his ability to communicate or lead his school. In fact, in my personal observations it has gotten worse.
Various discussions between Chris and staff regarding PLC, ILT, SGGs and other responsibilities/committees have led to tears and frustration for many staff members. He continues to not have written agreements or discussions, so that these things can "slip his mind" and be untraceable when he makes empty promises or demeaning statements to staff. He has also made several contradictory statements amongst staff, leading to confusion, the feeling of betrayal and grade level teams feeling pitted against one another. None of this is leadership material.
Despite being told over and over to trust him or to "trust the process", I have absolutely no trust in Chris Thomas. We have lost so many amazing educators and paras over the last few years who did not feel supported by Chris. We cannot afford to lose more wonderful and loving staff. In Tahoma, we are here to help children learn, grow and flourish, but we can't do that without real leadership and a principal who we can trust."
-RCES Teacher #12
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This letter is regarding Principal Chris Thomas at Rock Creek Elementary School.
In the time that I have been a staff member at RCES, I have had some concerns about the disregard of student and staff safety. Noticeable areas are recesses, SAILS, and in the general education setting.
I have also witnessed the condescending manner in which he speaks to some of the teachers and paraeducators.
He does not follow the protocol for SST and PST, delaying students receiving services needed.
-RCES Staff #8
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"We can't make a formal complaint. The reason is, we know that the district probably wouldn't take any action. And if we did speak up, we'd likely face even worse treatment from Chris since he would know.
It's not just this one instance – it's a pattern of incompetence that has continued year after year."
- RCES Teacher #9
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"My previous opinion of him when I was just a parent was that he was ineffective but harmless. Now as a staff you can see that all the incompetence adds up to real harm and he is dangerous to be in his position."
-RCES Staff #4
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"I am writing to express my concerns over the current leadership of Rock Creek Elementary. The lack of leadership from Principal Thomas. I have personally witnessed on numerous occasions when he has led through intimidation.
Rock Creek was a school that felt like a true family. I have witnessed Chris Thomas destroy the culture of Rock Creek one meeting and one staff at a time."
-RCES Teacher #13
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"Teachers have repeatedly spoken out about Chris’ poor leadership. Our building is led through manipulation and gaslighting."
-RCES Teacher #2
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"Some of the best educators are leaving because they are exhausted from the negative work environment and lack of support from our principal. They are tired of defending themselves, begging for admin support, explaining day to day academic concepts over and over again and they are tired of feeling unappreciated."
-RCES Teacher #16
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"I am writing to express my concerns regarding Chris Thomas as the Rock Creek Principal. Over the years, Chris Thomas has demonstrated time and time again his incompetence and ineffectiveness as the principal.
Here are some examples of his ineffectiveness/incompetence as a leader:
Lack of timely communication to staff.
Does not understand/follow PST or SST processes consistently.
Has said “IEP goals are just a guideline not law” when in IEP meetings.
Allows staff members to hold IEP meetings during the day when teachers of these students are available to attend.
Does not remember conversations he has had with staff members, gets upset with staff if they remind him of these conversations."
-RCES Teacher #18
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"I have lost all trust in Chris taking things seriously, putting our kids first and keeping them safe."
-RCES Teacher # 5
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"I was so uncomfortable at our district back to school meeting with all the elementary teachers where Scott Mitchell told us all that if we suspected abuse we were responsible to call CPS and not to think our supervisors were responsible to do it. It felt like the district was blaming all the people that reported Neyers behavior were somehow to blame because they didn’t call CPS. And while I do understand that is protocol, if you’re at all not confident in your position and your supervisor is gaslighting you into thinking it’s no big deal, they also hold blame. It's incredibly frustrating.
-TSD Teacher #24
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"Our leader [Chris Thomas] continues to show his lack of management within our building.
Examples:
Attending observations and meetings with no notes or an organized agenda to focus on.
Asking about what you would like to see happen with placement/position and doing the complete opposite. It feels intentional.
Requesting conversations/meetings to not be shared when it is affecting the entire team/grade level. Creating unnecessary tension between staff that could be avoided with transparency and communication.
Unaware of the curriculum taught and required by specific programs in our building.
Our Rock Creek staff has learned to adjust to our work environment by depending on each other. We are there for our students, families, and each other.
I am not confident in the leadership at Rock Creek Elementary. I do not feel my children, students and co-workers are safe and respected."
-RCES Teacher #19
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Chris Thomas has demonstrated concerning and questionable leadership qualities when multiple staff warnings were disregarded. Equally concerning is the lack of action by Chris and our district office to fire Neyers and keep the safety of our children at the forefront of decision making. Rather than this, Neyers was relocated to a new building, giving him an even larger pool of innocent children to predate upon.
I have witnessed Chris refrain from making bold decisions to safeguard our students (outside of the Neyers case) and fear that he may not feel confident, empowered, or safe himself to make difficult decisions. Chris has a heart for the children of our district and has dedicated decades to education, however as a parent, I no longer trust the judgement and decision making made by him and those who council him, and often find myself second guessing things that I should have complete faith in. I am hopeful that whatever decision is reached regarding his negligence in the Neyers case will be followed through with equally among the other administrators involved in this case.
-RCES Teacher #23
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Chris treats women differently than the men at our school. It’s the joke of the school that if you are a man, you won’t be noticed or questioned and can do whatever you want.
-RCES Teacher #5
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[Chris] forgets staff names, doesn’t understand elementary curriculum and makes us teachers explain everything to him, fixates on small issues and ignores big ones, late to meetings, he has been a factor in MANY staff members leaving our school, he manipulates the hiring process and talks committee members out of hiring who they want because of his own biases against amazing candidates, etc.
-RCES Teacher #21
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Chris Thomas' leadership skills are notably deficient. He has repeatedly received feedback about his arrogance and inability to consider other viewpoints. He dismisses input and demonstrates a persistent resistance to personal development and growth.
By allowing Chris to remain the principal, you are failing the teachers, staff, and students.
-TSD Staff Member
