Parents of children attending Baltimore City public schools are making sure their voices are heard in response to lack of heat present in school classrooms.
Just days after students returned to school in January following the holiday break, several schools in the district reported conditions described as “inhumane” by Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen, according to local NBC News affiliate, WBAL11. In addition to broken boilers, which resulted in freezing cold classrooms, a total of eight schools were closed for other issues that included busted pipes and flooded classrooms.
Although the City Council has attempted to alleviate the shameful issue with the immediate allocation of $2.5 million in funding for “emergency repairs,” parents of the students who attend the schools say that’s not enough. Rightfully outraged, a large group of teachers, community activists, parents and other family members flooded the School Board meeting on Tuesday evening to make sure that their concerns and dissatisfaction were crystal clear.
“How come Baltimore City Public Schools feels like the toilet of the educational system in Maryland when we have some of the best schools here in Maryland,” one parent asked. “Yet the poorest city in Maryland doesn’t get any support?”
One mother, Kim Trueheart, was met with cheers from fellow parents as she threatened not to support Baltimore Governor Larry Hogan for re-election should the promised funds not come through sooner than later. Meanwhile, another parent deemed the responsibility to better the schools for their kids a community effort.
“This was a collective downfall,” the mother said. “And until we realize and grasp our individual responsibility, we will collectively continue to fail our babies.”
A town hall meeting to address the issue further is set to take place on January 22 at Dunbar High School.