There are many things I love about West High: the range of educational experiences available to both of my children, the high quality teachers who not only provide interesting content and engaging activities but who also answer my emails and take time to meet with me when needed, the front office staff who are kind and helpful, the counseling staff who are responsive, and the principal who answers the emails I send.
What I don’t appreciate is the fact that my children cannot use the restroom without either being exposed to dangerous second-hand smoke or possibly being witness to a drug deal. Students are not allowed to use the restroom at all during the third period due to issues with behavior management that the school cannot currently contain.
In a school district where over $2 million have been spent on “weapons” detectors, how is there not enough money to hire staff to appropriately supervise the students once they are in the building? The fact that this is a problem at the other area high schools only indicates that there is a systemic problem — the creation of a safe space in which all students can learn has to be the foundation of our learning communities — this requires the careful oversight of invested adults.
I do not know a single adult who would tolerate having to work in an environment where it was not safe to use the restroom throughout the workday — why are we expecting our children to have to manage this situation?
Amy Lynn Fehlberg, Salt Lake City
