A recent letter writer expressed his outrage that Robinswood’s faculty and staff are not being fired. He stated that the school is a failure and that the faculty and staff are responsible for this debacle.

A few facts challenge the claim that Robinswood is a failed school and that Robinswood faculty and staff have failed their students.

The Bellevue School District established Robinswood as an alternative middle and high school for students whose needs could not be adequately met in the district’s regular public schools. In 2009, nearly a third of the Robinswood’s student body spoke a first language other than English. Nearly 20 percent of the students qualified for special education services. Over 40 percent of the students qualified for free or reduced-price meals.

Many Robinswood students have a history of social or emotional, as well as academic issues, and enter the school as very discouraged learners. Yet many of them, in partnership with a dedicated team of teachers, have beat the odds. In 2009, 71 percent of Robinswood’s 10th graders passed the WASL Reading exam and 82 percent successfully completed the Writing exam. Students on the brink of dropping out of school are graduating.

Are there concerns in need of attention? Yes. Too few students are graduating on time. Too many students are struggling with math. Only 9.4 percent of the 10th graders passed the WASL Math exam compared with 45.4 percent of their peers statewide. Do these issues need to be addressed? Most definitely. But let us not lose sight of the many accomplishments of the school’s principal, faculty, staff and students.

Jan Zuber, Bellevue