News-Record.com

So did the construction people know about it, but didn't let GCS know? Or by sheer coincidence did they find the problem on June 8th and start construction on June 9th... wait I know that couldn't be right, since Kernodle summer school was moved to NWMS-- can't remember when I knew that was going to happen, but I am going to check that out.

It gets harder and harder to talk yourself out of a problem that you acted yourself into.

I hoped the "new" Guilford County School employees and lawyers have learned a lesson about public disclosure. So much of this could have been avoided with an appropriate press release saying there was a problem and the cause was under investigation.

Just in case anyone on the school board reads this blog.

Eastern Guilford students will not be entering the building until the final inspection has been approved, the final ceiling tile has been installed, the final wall has dried, cleaning of all walls and floors is completed, and teachers have time to set up their rooms!!!!

Children with asthma and other health conditions cannot be exposed to left over construction dust and half dried paint.

It's still very confusing why structural changes are going on in the rest of the buildings if supposedly nothing is wrong with them.

Does Guilford county just have money to burn?

I understand that we settled for $400k on the Dudley claim. What did we get? Did we order the contractor to do something that was not in the contract? Did contractor bid low to get the job and then tried to make it up by a claim? When did the system receive the claim? What part of this claim needs to be settled in secret session. For an organization that has a PR Department, it seems they are better keeping the info away from the public than they are in letting light in.

EG Parent--

I am also a parent of two students at Eastern.

What do you mean when you say that "Eastern Guilford students will not be entering the building until the final inspection has been approved..."

Is this policy? Has the PTA been involved? Is this what you are advocating? If parents are keeping their children home will this be considered an unexcused absence?

After getting a letter from the principal talking about 'enhancements' on the same day that I read in a local paper about 'remediation,' I drove by teh school to take a look. There was a missing wall in the 8th grade wing. I couldn't look at the 7th or 6th grade wings because a car was blocking the drive to the back of the building. Needless to say, I am also interested in getting some good information.

Zhak,
I understand your confusion for my comment. I do not represent anyone, but my child and my feelings.

However, it would not surprise me at all for the school system to try and open our school in a mess.

All parents of this school need to let the members of the school board know that this will not be tolerated. Our students deserve a safe, clean school and we should accept nothing less. Unless
enough parents speak up, nothing may be done.

It is my expectation as a parent:

-The construction should be completed.

-A professional cleaning company needs to come in and clean the dust from the "air vents", "walls", "windows" and "floors".

-The building should be ventialated to remove the odor of painted walls.

-The teachers need to be given adequate time to coordinate their rooms.

-The parents should be allowed to visit the school and be satisfied that these things have taken place.

-"I" do not think a child should not be counted absent if the parent is not satisfied with the condition of the school.

I just saw that Eastern will not open until Monday, August 28. A little wiggle room but certainly not enough to accomplish all that you outlined above. I particularly like the idea of opening the school to parents for a look around. It looked very suspicious that the new student orientation (6th grade) was moved to the high school. Begged the question 'how bad is it?'

I have all the school board members email addresses in my address book and I email them but very few of them acknowledge it. It certainly is worthwhile to let them know how we feel although a private communication does not seem to have much or any effect. I have also (as has my son) directly addressed the school board on other issues during the opening of school board meetings. A public appeal also has limited effectiveness. Do you have any other suggestions?

Are any of the Eastern, Hairston and Kernodle parents willing to speak to me about the school start delay? If so, call me at 373-7078.

According to Morgan's article today in the N&R, the truth is heard and all matters of innuendo from people like Deborah, Stormy, and Buck have been refutinated.

And I quote quite extensively from Morgan's article.

"...we felt there WASN'T (my bold) an issue of safety," according to the engineering firm that was hired to fix structural discrepancies.

SK&A "...NEVER told the school system that classrooms and cafeterias in the three schools were unsafe."

Upon notification by SK&A that the gyms were unsafe, the Good Doctor told the principals, same day, to close the gyms until repaired.

Looks like the issue was handled in the professional manner we all come to expect and appreciate from our school administrators.

As typical of certain elements of our community, a vocal minority has tried to raise a stink over a matter that has been handled in a timely as well as professional manner.

Lord Hear Our Prayers, and may blessings be upon those (Dr. Grier,et al) who are concerned for the safety of our little ones and take appropriate action when necessary.

Zhak....contact every parent that you know and make sure they know what is going on. Many have no clue. Call your board member and email her along with Morgan and Jennifer. Exactly how many emails has she ignored!

Call Morgan at 373-7078 and ask the other parents
to also call Morgan.

Having the building cleared by inspectors does not mean that they did a good job cleaning the building.

Parents need to demand that this be done right!

Parents do not need to get in the way of the cleaning or the teachers setting up their classroom, but there should be a time even if it
is from 5:00 - 7:00 on Aug 27 for parents to see
for themselves that the classrooms are ready.

The board member that represents the school should
also be present..
....buy the way who is the representative for Eastern.

Never seen or heard of this person in or around this school.

EG Parent,

Are you okay?

Listen to yourself man, you're scaring me. "This gotta be done right, 'cause we parents demand it. Look in every cranny & classroom to see that things are done right. Follow the janitors to make certain things are cleaned." 'cause we know more than those structural engineers do.

Please, please stop hallucinating, besides getting freaky on us I bet your kids are wondering if you've lost your sanity.

Things are alright, the sky ain't gonna fall on our kids. Here, let me loosen some of those straps that restrain you. Maybe that'll help.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Bubba,
who do you think you are to try and stop a concerned parent from visiting Eastern. They have the right to check it out.
This is America!

Just who (expletive deleted) are you? Who do you think you are?

If you have nothing to do with Eastern then stay out of it!

I am not an Eatern parent but I totally agree with them going to take a look. If everything is ok as you keep saying then there should be no problem!

I am sick of you coming on this blog and criticizing parents that are questioning the school Board and Grier. Its democracy man.
Go and live in Iran if you dont like it!

'Parent'--don't be too hard on 'Bubba.' He thinks that "refutinated" is a word ("innuendo from people like Deborah, Stormy, and Buck have been refutinated.") Wonder where he went to school.

EG Parent--Anita Sharpe is our children's school board representative. Alan Duncan is the chair. You can find their contact information on the GCS website. Don't expect them to reply although they may use volume of email as an indicator of parental involvement and interest.

Zhak,

The lack of reponse to parents and taxpayers in much of the problem with this school system. Most of school board members would rather hide than face a parent and answer hard questions. You have a few that are sincere and responsible, but only a few.

The lack of communications and openness creates much of the problems. Even if there really isn't a problem, people think there is because there is a lack of openness and information. You'd think that they would see that as they are elected representatives of the citizens, but they develop a bunker mentality about issues. They see us as the enemy, and we are the ones that they were elected to serve. Strange how that happens when they get in office. They are supposed to supervise and direct Grier, and they end-p thinking that they work for him and should protect him from us.

Bubba, who are you? You must be one of the school people the way you shill for them all of the time.

Bubba............,
The school called "structural flaws", "enhancememts". These "enhancements" cost the Guilford County School tax payer almost 2 million dollars of "unbudgeted tax payer" money.

Therefore, I do not have a lot of trust in what they say. Do you think they would have gone into all three schools and spent the money that they did if there was not a "very" real threat of the roof collapsing?

The Eastern Middle school roof had already had a partial collapse over the office which caused them to start this research in the first place!!

I am thankful that they responded in the way that they did, but no Terry simply moving the summer schools because of "building enhancements" was not clear notification of what was going on in our school.

Bubba, I don't proclaim to be a structural engineer, but I can tell if the building has been thoroughly cleaned and is acceptable for occupancy by my child.

When trailers were dumped at Sedalia for the Mcleansville school, it was the parents and the teachers rolling their sleeves up and cleaning the "nasty,dusty,smelly" buildings so that students would have a clean place to learn.

It was not Guilford County Schools, Terry Grier, or
Anita Sharpe.

It most certainly was not a "fool" named Bubba that uses the Lord's name in vain.

By the way Bubba , been around a shrimp boat lately...... because you stink!!

Believe me, Stormy, I have ample experience prying open channels of communication with entrenched bureacracy. It takes time, persistence, patience, tolerance, and dedication to that off-stated motto "children first." I don't expect every individual's issues are going to be catered to-- public school is a collective so there must be sincere effort to reach consensus on policy. I do expect at least minimal standards of decency.

I understand that organizations are motivated to put themselves in the most positive light. That's why they have public relations experts aiding administrators in their presentations. One of their functions is in helping design wording for announcements, press statements, letters to parents. For example, the same day that I received a letter from the school stating that there were 'structural enhancements' being done over the summer, I read in a weekly local paper that there was 'structural remediation' at Eastern.

To risk reopening Ed Cone's 'fascist' debate, the meaning of words matter. Enhancements imply something that is good made better. Remediation means something is not good and is made better. Which is it? What is actually going on? Why are there such divergent stories coming from different sources?

My daughter would like to do most of her dealings with her school, her guidance counselor on the internet. It's convenient, it's cutting edge, it's easy. But what I tell her is that it is not a conversation. A conversation has give and take. It's slow. It's not pre-programmed. It relies on mutual understanding. Sometimes it backs up and sometimes it shoots forward. What I am getting from the school is not an effort toward mutual understanding.

If perhaps I were one of the more passive parents, I could be led blindfolded through the maze. If an environment of sincere transparent open communication had been nurtured by the public relations experts rather than hunkering in the bunker, perhaps I would trust the guides to lead me blind. This is just not the case at this time.