Swampscott parents voice maintenance concerns at school

SWAMPSCOTT – School Committee members questioned the protocol of custodial staff after a group of concerned Hadley School parents addressed safety issues of bathroom cleanliness and unattended opened cleaning chemicals in the school.PTA President Gargi Cooper said she and other parents have been working to address these concerns and others such as consistent leaks, broken glass and a lack of mulch in the school?s playground, since last December.?I think the process we had to go through to get these basic needs addressed is pretty concerning,” said Cooper. “It?s not my job to be micromanaging.”Parent Peter Spellios said parents were frustrated by the “lack of response by the Superintendent?s office.” He added that the PTA shouldn?t have to deal with the maintenance issues, and should be concentrating on enrichment programs. “It seems as though there?s a true lack of empathy that causes parents to be a bit more agitated that there isn?t more advocacy.”School Facilities Director Garrett Baker said that the issues had been or were currently being dealt with. He added that the bathroom cleanliness had been addressed by hiring a part-time cleaning specialist for Hadley, and other issues are dealt with on a priority of safety. Baker said the staff was already spread thin across the other schools, but that there was a new log for issues of protocol where custodial staff could keep track of what had been done.Hadley parent Mara Lau said it seemed to be that Hadley was understaffed in more than just the custodial department. “There are fewer teachers in the hallway to tie a shoe when a first grader runs by,” said Lau. “Bigger financial issues need to be addressed. Anyone can figure out that you should lock up chemicals, it?s not rocket science.”Lau said she was prepared to be at the playground Sunday morning to add mulch to the bottom of the playground slide “because my five-year-old is not going to crack his head open.”Parent Colleen Hitchcock was met with silence when she asked if “before my kid hits the monkey bars, no teacher has glanced at them to make sure they?re safe?” After a few moments, she responded, “Really? Okay, that?s interesting.”Near conclusion of the discussion, Celli said parents should address Principal Sandy Rivers in dealing with the safety issues, who would report it to Baker, who would report it to her office and Town Administrator Thomas Younger.Chairman Laurier Beaupre said, “I can?t apologize to you folks here enough to what you had to go through to get these issues raised. All I can say in closing is I hope that we?ve heard you as we should have and on an ongoing basis things will change.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].