Parents not satisfied with EPISD 

Decision to move LDC to Austin

A.D. Ibarra

-EPISD DSC

After an official notice was handed to the local media to reopen Austin Elementary to house the EPISD Language Development Center, parents still came out at 3:00 P.M. where Public Relations Director Melissa Gratkowski made herself available to the press and read the release to all gathered followed by the answering of questions that had been forwarded to her during the week.

Gratkowski graciously informed the media of the fact that a firm by the name of Ace Environmental Compliance Service will be doing a complete analysis of the mold in the main building on the campus of LDC. 

"We are awaiting on the contractor to give us a cost analysis," stated the district's new spokesperson.

She also informed us of the number of classrooms in the main building saying that there are 24 rooms including two labs which house 538 students and 62 staff members, but not all at once as Pre-K students attend either morning or afternoon shifts.

When asked whether teachers and staff are working at this time, she explained that they have not because, "Everyone's well being has been our #1 priority."

Parents who have come out in mass have a different perspective on the entire situation as their disdain when they left the parent meeting on Thursday morning was still very present on the minds of those who took time to come back at 3:00 P.M.

"They never sent notes, we didn't find out 'til the situation happened," said one parent, "There are serious safety issues which were not covered.  Alarms are being installed after kids had gone to school already, the cafeteria is not up to safety code, the electrical outlets were not child proof.  Half of the students have to sit on the floor, the other half sit on desks."

The parents mentioned the concern that the kids do not have individual child spacing and some of the children may have certain phobias that would impede them from learning if they have conditions such as autism, hyperactive syndrome or even the beginning stages of claustrophobia.