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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Adults should be the voice of BMS kids

This week I have been thoroughly disappointed and frustrated. I think most moms can relate; however, it wasn't my kiddos that made me feel this way. My disappointment and frustration stem from our County Council's decision to not support moving forward with a new Bennett Middle School.
As a mom, I feel it is my responsibility to look after my children. To clothe them, feed them, make sure they are clean. It is also my responsibility, as a parent, to advocate for them, to want the best for them and to set high expectations for them. As a mom, I am the voice for my kids when they are unable to speak for themselves.
My children will not attend Bennett Middle School. We live in the Salisbury Middle School district. I do not have to worry about the effects this aging building will have on my children. However, as a mom, I cannot turn a blind eye to the conditions of this school and the impact it is having and will continue to have on the children of Wicomico County.
The conditions at Bennett Middle School are unacceptable. It is so much more than lack of air conditioning or aesthetics. This school is not safe. I have toured the facility and I have heard from the principal of the school. There are real safety concerns at Bennett Middle. The school is overcrowded and portable classrooms sit on the property. Because of those portables, doors to the main building cannot be locked, as students need to be able to travel back and forth during the day. Makeshift classrooms have become the norm. The school stage is now such a classroom. Closets, yes closets, are now being utilized as testing facilities.
Bennett Middle does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The second floor is only accessible via stairs. There are no elevators or ramps inside the building. During American Education Week, a wheelchair-bound grandparent could not visit their grandchild's classroom.
The lack of air conditioning makes for a very uncomfortable environment. Large chicken fans are put in the hallways to help circulate the air. They, of course, are very loud. It is hard enough to keep the attention of a middle school student during good conditions; with such distractions, it can be virtually impossible.
We talk in our community about equal education for all. There is nothing equal here. The students at Bennett Middle School have a clear disadvantage. They cannot and will not receive the same level of instruction as the students at other middle schools. They do not have access to the same level of technology. Bennett Middle School's wiring is not able to accommodate upgrades to its technology.
Our world is not the same as when we were in school. Students today rely on computers and the Internet. Teachers rely on SMART Boards and other educational technology to best instruct today's students. We cannot begin to compare what it was like for us in middle school to what students face today. We didn't have the Internet or laptops. I remember the old overhead projectors and carbon copied worksheets. Do we really want to send our children into the world without the most up-to-date learning experiences available?
As a mom, I know that every day more than 900 students enter Bennett Middle School. They are entering a building that is falling apart. They are coming to school and learning from teachers who are giving them all they possibly can. Those 900 students might not be thinking about the future. They might not realize what they are missing. They might not be aware of the advantages others in our community and elsewhere have. But we -- the adults in this community -- we are aware. We know what the big picture looks like. We know these students will compete with others when they apply to colleges. We know these students will compete with others when they apply for jobs. We, as the adults in this community, must be the voice for these children.
Bennett Middle School represents what we don't want for our county. We don't want to sit back and allow things to deteriorate anymore. We want to be moving forward, not falling backward. We need to keep looking at the big picture. We need to give our children in Wicomico County the opportunities they deserve. As moms -- and dads, and grandparents -- we cannot continue to ride past that school every day and not think about those 900 students inside. Our county has many needs; this middle school is only a first step. But, just as a baby learns to walk, we need to take one step at a time.
Kim Hudson is a member of Parents In Action, which advocates for funding in education

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