12 Comments
Apr 2, 2023Liked by Tom Hayden

Great post

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So interesting, thanks! I extend a lot of grace to the district around the containers. They had to work fast and rough to build social distancing space for students during r2s, and these were likely the fastest way to solve a priority problem.

It would be nice if they were taken away before a kid breaks their neck falling off of one, but let’s see what happens over this next summer. Removing them doesn’t feel to me like a midyear priority.

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I agree with the exception that if they are full of toxic mold and rats (as some have suggested) they should be removed as soon as possible.

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That’s called a real-world science experiment. Break out the pint-sized hazmats, hand out the Petri dishes and whacking sticks and get to learning! 😉

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lol i was never good at biology!

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Mar 8, 2023Liked by Tom Hayden

I agree that this should not be a mid-year priority. It should have been an end of year priority or a summer priority. The pandemic is over. Why do the rusty rental remnants remain? I have also heard that the containers flooded and the contents spoiled. Specifically I heard about the one at Dawes being so. I cannot verify that, however.

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Replying to both Tim and Karl here:

Reasonable people can disagree on the timing for storage on District property. None of us have real insight into the District's storage demands etc.

Reasonable people can also agree that if the shipping containers contain molding stuff and/or rats, they need to removed from premises immediately because they pose a health risk to kids.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Tom Hayden

Undoubtedly. And I don’t disagree that sans vermin, this isn’t an immediate priority. It does speak to the level of organization and concern JEH has for these things being on school property and the potential risks they may pose. Also- we don’t need to be paying for things we don’t need. Another concept the District seems to have trouble grasping.

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I agree. It's definitely a symptom of a bigger problem involving facilities being ignored (a future story coming on this, but lots of research required). Ask any of the teachers across the District how many ceiling tiles are missing in their classrooms, for example...

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What a eye sore. Guaranty none of the stuff in these containers was ever used.

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It’s ridiculous that teachers have to hold out a cup to get funds to replace what, in some cases, are supplied they paid out of pocket for. That is why the district has insurance. There is zero reason why, post-pandemic, these containers are still there. They should have been removed and a claim for the property damaged made. The district has enough Directors and Assistant Superintendents that one of them can call the insurance company to send an adjuster over, and another can call the storage company and have them remove the containers. I’m sure the Garter Principle King of PR -er- Executive Director of Communications Messenger (how à propos) will have a perfectly good explanation for all of this. And I’d like to hear it.

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The District did eventually come through and pay for the replacements, so the GoFundme was taken down, which is why I couldn't share a link to it. I'm not even sure this is an insurance thing, the container company seems to indicate that they guarantee water-tightness.

I will reach out to them for quotes in a bit, but wanted to get this article out there so I can collect more information from the community first before I use their resources.

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