When the furnace at M.R. Reiter exploded, little did we know that we would be dealing with its effects and the decisions made by the "stay on track" board members for such a long time. The following are facts that cannot be disputed.
With Reiter being mothballed and unable to reopen, the "stay on track" board voted to put k-3 in Grandview School, and 4-12 in the middle/high school. This hasty decision has led to several problems that still need to be addressed. Keep in mind that the explosion happened in Dec '08. It is now Sept '09. First issue is the middle/high school was designed for older kids. Not for elementary aged children. The bathrooms are not designed for younger kids, especially 4th and 5th graders.
The second issue is the use of the bathrooms. When children need to "go" they need to "go". They should not be told to go at 10:20 am, or any other designated time. The following link may be useful if this is an issue for your child.
http://www.childadvocate.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=1
The next issue is outside recess. The 4th and 5th graders are not allowed to go outside for recess. Reasons given for this are, there is no fenced in area to contain the children, and there is no equipment for the children to play with. It is our understanding the PTO is planning to purchase some equipment , but is it their responsibility? Perhaps if the board planned this out, some equipment would have been purchased before the start of the school year. But they choose to instead to hire a communications director at $25k. It shows where their interest are, saving themselves and not your children.
Next issue is the traffic situation at both schools. We have discussed this at great length for the past week or so. It seems that the board is ignorant of any issues, because we haven't heard anything from them. Perhaps incumbent school board members would be better off standing on the corner observing the morning rush, rather than observing their opposition passing out fliers.
Not directly related to the Reiter explosion, but also not to be ignored is the fact that children in grades 4-12 are going to school in a building that is under renovation. These renovations are not on schedule. There are trailers in the parking lot where children have been observed playing around. Not safe. And there is debris and unwanted trash from the renovation cluttered around the dumpsters in the morning. Not safe. The board has hired someone to look after their interests, but who is looking out for the childrens' and staffs' interests? Isn't that their responsibility?
Bring these issues to the board at the next meeting on the 23rd of Sept.
