Pitch in to help the schools.

School year is coming up. Monday. This Saturday (tomorrow!) is DCPS beautification day, meaning that parents and other volunteers will be doing what the DCPS refuses to do: take care of its schools. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for volunteering and being involved in the school, but I find it incredibly frustrating that the DCPS administration is unable to carry out its function as caretaker of the schools.

DCPS shouldn't be allowed to get away with refusing to fix major problems in many of its schools. Only a few years ago, DCPS faced a crisis and a major public relations failure when it couldn't get several schools ready to open on time: leaking roofs, non-existent restrooms, etc. Unfortunately, the School Board has failed to take its lesson from past mistakes and continues to exhibit a cavalier attitude toward renovation and repair.

Children are not idiots. They observe everything. They understand that if their school has restrooms that have been unusable for months, then adults don't really care. They understand that if the building's trim is rotting and unpainted and the floors are cracked and missing tiles, then they are not very significant compared to the adults around them. They understand that if roofs leak and soap dispensers either don't exist or don't work, then their health and safety is not a priority.

Children understand that if they are being educated in rotting buildings then their education is being devalued. Some will learn that education is not important. Some will achieve great things despite the lack of institutional support. However, everyone's opportunities are diminished when the agency responsible for ensuring equitable, safe, and welcoming environments either cannot or will not perform its duties.

If anyone's interested in helping fix up his or her local school, head over to fixourschools.net and
click on "Take Action" to register. Registered or not, anyone is welcome to just show up at his or her local school on Saturday. It's from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and volunteers are encouraged to bring bottled water for themselves, gloves, various garden implements, etc.