St. School District - Teachers, students show support for state officials

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Teachers, students show support for state officials

Thursday, July 05, 2001

By ERIC WALTER

Kane County Chronicle, editorial@...

ST. CHARLES - Signs reading " ISBE our heroes " and " Karpiel loves kids "

greeted state Sen. Doris Karpiel, R-Carol Stream, as she walked toward the

Regional Office of Education (ROE) for a meeting Thursday afternoon.

About 50 parents, teachers and students gathered outside of the ROE to show

their support for Karpiel and Kane County Regional School Supt. Clem Mejia,

before the start of a closed-door meeting called by the senator. Some of the

rally attendees held signs such as " The mold is getting old. Give use a new

school " and " 'Dunham plan' disposable $. "

Kerrie Balance, a parent and one of the organizers of St. Citizens

for Equality in Education (SCCEE), said the protesters sought to block the

St. School District from receiving permits, which would have allowed

school officials to begin remediation on St. East High School.

" They're right on the verge of getting permits. We need to stop that, "

Balance said.

Balance and her husband, Rich, presented copies of two petitions - each of

which had about 400 signatures - to Mejia just before Karpiel's meeting

began.

The two petitions asked the school district to:

- Institute a plan placing all St. high schoolers at St.

North High School until St. East is safe; and

- Conduct an emergency referendum to build a new high school.

Teachers Hunn and Hillary Bell came out to protest how St. East

staff members had been treated for years.

" Staff has had concerns for years. Nothing could be resolved without parents

being involved, " Hunn said.

Both Hunn and Bell said maintenance issues could not be tracked because

staff members did not make copies of reports.

" We just assumed they'd get taken care of, " Bell said.

Students have their own concerns.

Caroline Augaitis, who will be a junior at East this fall, had heard the

district's most recent plan at making the Dunham wing safe was " covering the

walls with plastic. "

" They've covered it up before, " she said of the mold problem. " Something

could happen again. "

Kellan , another St. East student, said the plans by the

district were " disgusting. "

" It's pretty pathetic. They think nobody cares, " she said.

Freshman Casey , who plans to attend medical school in the future, does

not want to see the situation continue.

" They should tear down the building. I don't want to be sick for four years

and attend classes in a trailer park, " she said.

" There's no way that building can be fixed, " Kellan agreed. " They say there'

s no problem. I'd like to see them have their offices in that building (and

stay there) eight hours a day. "

The students share their concerns with teachers, as well. Kerrie Balance

said 15 teachers already have decided not to return to their jobs at St.

East.

Geoff McGowan, an attorney with Geneva-based McGowan and Hull and a St.

parent, called for the district to put in writing an assurance that

the mold situation will not recur if the building is remediated.

" I'd like to see them say in writing that it won't come back, " he said.

" Anyone who backs this process (should agree) that they will resign ... when

the problem rears its ugly head. "

The probability that SCCEE would seek a legal remedy to their complaints

seems small, McGowan said.

" The legal route is the (route) the least number of people want to take, " he

said. " (We) don't want to sue now. "

McGowan said a member of organization as a private citizen could retain an

attorney and file a lawsuit against the school district, but SCCEE would not

have the legal identity to do so. One area under which McGowan suggested

someone might sue would be equality-protection rights or land-use issues.

St. East was closed temporarily April 5, after South Carolina-based

AAA Environmental Inc. announced that stachybotrys and

aspergillus/penicillium had been discovered in the school's Dunham wing.

Content © 2001 The Kane County Chronicle