We Need Some Parent Activism.

(1) High School Boys' Bathroom

The ESUMS high school boys' bathroom is locked and unusable because it is damaged to the point of being hazardous.  The repair is major, and a work order has been submitted to the school district.  While we wait for the repair, the high school boys have to waste class time to use the middle school bathroom across the building, which overuses that bathroom and degrades its condition.  Since we are moving in a year and a work order can be ignored for a year, it's unlikely we will see a repair unless we take some action.

Please help us instigate some action on this work order by sending a polite but urgent email requesting a prompt repair to the the Director of Facilities and the Chief Operating Officer.

(2)  School-wide Wifi

The new wifi installed by the district is still badly unreliable.  The school's laptops can rarely connect to it with frequent drops and outages, an unreasonable situation in a school whose mission is STEM!  This is especially important as we approach testing season; the SBACs will be given in May, and those are all online.

Please consider sending a polite but urgent email to the Manager of IT and our Director of Instruction requesting immediate attention to this problem.

(3)  Board of Education Meeting Monday

The PTO has been paying close attention to the issue of New Haven charging (new) magnet tuition to the sending suburban districts.  In particular, this discussion at the Finance Committee raises some alarms:

In the worst-case scenario, districts would refuse to pay the tuition, De La Paz said Monday at the finance committee meeting. “The only recourse for us is to dis-enroll the student.”

During the school year? Goldson asked. Harries shook his head no.

“That would be your choice,” De La Paz said. He advised sending districts the number of students accepted into New Haven magnet schools in the lottery process this spring and talking with them further. (NHI)

If this worries you or if you want to learn more about it, magnet tuition should be discussed at Monday's Board if Education meeting, Monday, April 11th, at 5:30 at Beecher School, 100 Jewel Street.  There will be opportunity for public comment.

Thank you so much for your active work on behalf of our students!