How Crazy Are They...Very

You know how hot it's been, right? What you probably don't know is how many students are affected by this heat…not just this year but every year. Forty-five percent of the students in the Newport-Mesa USD are subjected to unsafe health conditions during extreme heat events in schools without air conditioning in all classrooms.. It is well documented medically that extreme heat events pose severe health risks especially to children.
The District has no plan in place to deal with extreme heat events in schools without air conditioning that occur during the school year. No Plan! For years teachers, students, and parents have been begging for air conditioning.
These are the schools without AC
Schools Without A/C Students Impacted (partial w/o)
College Park 560
Davis 570 (22
Harbor View 420
Kaiser 710
Mariners 770 (231)
Newport Elementary 490
Newport Heights 680
Pomona 510
Whittier 720 (360)
Wilson 480
Woodland 540
Ensign 1190
Back Bay/Monte Vista 270
Costa Mesa High 1160
Newport Harbor High 2350 (1175)
***STUDENTS WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING 9,895
***TOTAL NMUSD STUDENTS 21,750
***PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WITHOUT AC 45%
AND NOW GUESS WHAT?
NMUSD IS CONSIDERING STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR 3 WEEKS EARLIER ( August) BRILLIANT!
This is truly crazy; and what's crazier is that this district has NO PLAN for almost half the students in the district !!! No plan for those 9,895 kids sweltering in those old classrooms...not to mention the teachers!
To show you the thinking of the trustees in the reaction to this post by the “Newport Mesa Community for Students” ….(this is from vickie …the responses from me.


Overheated classroom HOTLINE! Let your voice be heard by messaging here about the intolerable classroom temperatures.
Like this page and write the Board or Dr. Lee-Sung if you want action NOW for minimum days and AC for your school site. http://www.latimes.com/…/tn-dpt-me-hot-classrooms-20171025-

Vicki Snell Just an update: College Park, Davis, Pomona, Wilson, Woodland, Kaiser schools are designed with funds allocated and will be completed next summer. The rest of the elementary schools are slated to be designed and completed summers of 2019 and 2020. All middle schools are complete except Ensign and two of the high schools are done. We are developing a plan for all schools. Need to doublecheck your numbers Sandie but thanks for sharing.


RemoveSandy Asper
Vickie...there is a vast difference in "slated" and actually now..My numbers are disgusting but accurate. All these schools should be done this summer. Right now there is literally NO plan for these thousands of students, Or is there and it's a mystery?

Vickie
As you know, there has been a plan for two years and we are proceeding. Your request that these projects can be done instantaneously disregarding funding required and state approval (required at each individual school) and coordinating with sites is ludicrous. Are you really that disconnected from reality? Makes no sense.

Sandy
Vickie ...in the meantime while you ( or whomever) is pontificating about the problems connected with having 45% of the students breathe during their day at school, they are having a hard time doing just that. For more years than I can count this district has ignored the teachers and parents who have been begging for air conditioning. Not only have those plaintiff requests been summarily ignored, but the reasons for ignoring those teachers and students have been willfully ignorant and insulting. We were told at Newport El, Ensign and Newport Heights that we were fine because those schools received the benefit of a breeze off the ocean. At Tewinkle we were fortunate enough to not hear the breeze story, but while we were sweltering in classes, we were told that the temp would end and in the meantime, given huge industrial fans which insured that no one could hear anything. When I wrote the commentary IN 2014, the teachers were given box fans ..which we all know do not work well, and teachers (as usual filled in with their own fans and various creative ways to help the kids stay cool). So here is my advice to you....during any day or days that the temperature is above 85 degrees go to a school and sit in one of those classes ALL DAY LONG...and while you're there help out a little.....because in your hurry to defend the board and yourself...you are not helping.

Vickie
what do you want from me? Really? Is it to solve problems and move forward or focus on the past. I’m not defending anyone. I’m giving you facts and information on what we are doing to make things better.

Remove
Sandy Asper

You are giving me (us) the talking points given you by someone else. I want you to stand up for the kids in this district (and teachers too) I want you to stop getting angry because people are asking questions ...don't consider anyone who dares to question the board an enemy...they are not. I want you to do independent research...give people who are questioning a call...find out what is really true ..not just what is easier to accept...and for God's sake apologize when you should. Honestly Vickie I think you're better than this. I agree that it is much easier to apologize than to always get things right...except in some cases when the people asking the questions have done the research and in the case of this air-conditioning issue been in the trenches....


Vicki Snell
“Curiously enough,
It is often the people
Who refuse to assume any
Responsibility who are apt to be
The sharpest Critics of those who do
-Eleanor Roosevelt


Remove

Sandy Asper

Read that yourself Kiddo....the issue is not your ego, not your repeating the talking points. The issue is that theseschools DO NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING and it is very hard to understand why...especially in the face of the constant $$$$ raises and special money given to the administrators.lawyers, consultants, way too many administrators for this size district, and various people hired, given special titles, moved around and made fairly rich when, and I repeat....CHILDREN ARE SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN SEARINGLY HOT ROOMS. Seriously, Vickie I would have so much respect for you if you would jump down from that freakishly high horse you are on, stop defending yourself (or whoever is doing it) and do something about this...it's time. It's also time to really know who you are hiring. Do the research..
people hired, given special titles, moved around and made fairly rich when, and I repeat....CHILDREN ARE SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN SEARINGLY HOT ROOMS. Seriously, Vickie I would have so much respect for you if you would jump down from that freakishly high horse you are on, stop defending yourself (or whoever is doing it) and do something about this...it's time. It's also time to really know who you are hiring. Do the research..