Dear Editor,
This letter is addressed to the current members of the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools school board members, the past members of the Covington City School Board, the past members of the Alleghany County School Board, the current and past Alleghany County Board of Supervisors, the current and past Covington City Council, any and all members who sat on the Joint Committee for School Consolidation and parents, students and members of the community.
It is with great sadness that I address you all, but I feel that the voices of the teachers and staff of the current Clifton Middle School are not being heard. First, let me just say, we are not opposed to consolidation. We believe consolidation was a good thing for all involved. However, as most of you know, Clifton Middle School will sadly no longer house our middle school students. At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, we will be educating these young folks at the current Covington High School. We, the teachers and staff at Clifton Middle School, are strongly opposed to this move. While we certainly understand the attachment some members of the community have to the current Covington High School, the fact of the matter is, that it is just that … a high school. It was built in 1939 for high school students, not middle school students. And, because it was built so long ago, it is on the state registry of historical buildings, which means there are very few alterations that can be made to the building, so we are forced to use outdated facilities, such as science labs.
It is my understanding that many of you are not aware of the issues we have with moving. I am also aware that some of you have heard some of these issues and believe they are lies. So, let me just say the issues are verifiable facts. There may be a few that are logical assumptions; however, when those in charge refuse to answer your questions, assumptions are all we have. I do not intend to sugarcoat anything. I also will not name names or point fingers. Those who are responsible for making these decisions know who they are and will eventually, no doubt, have to answer to their consciences. To say in one breath that this move is what is best for the students and then state that you had to agree to it or Covington would not agree to consolidate, is not, in my opinion, what is best for the students. It is, in fact, what is best for the folks making the deal.
The Covington High School building is 84 years old. While it has been suitable up till now for a high school, it is not suitable for the needs of our middle school community. First of all, it is not big enough for all of the Clifton Middle School teachers, staff and students combined with the Jeter Watson teachers, staff and students. To our knowledge, people and parents in the community are not aware that moving the middle school to Covington High School, well there is just not enough room for everyone. Clifton Middle School has 52 classrooms. Covington High School has 32 classrooms. We have recently discovered that approximately 16 teachers will be required to share a classroom and/or keep their equipment on carts to move to other rooms to teach. The cafeteria is not nearly big enough or equipped enough to serve the student body in a reasonable amount of time. There are no teacher bathrooms at all on the third floor. The one on the second floor is to be turned into the nurse’s office, so no teacher bathrooms on the second floor either. With only five minutes between classes, there is not enough time to run downstairs to the bathroom and back before your next class. Teachers already find it difficult to have a “potty break” without having to run up and down the stairs.
Clifton Middle has the ability to keep the new sixth graders separated from the older eighth graders; Covington does not. Clifton has a track, football field, baseball diamond, tennis courts, newer gym and a nature trail all available for use; Covington does not. Clifton has a room that is designated for various therapies that some of our students require; Covington does not.
The cost involved in making this move happen is ridiculous. It costs a whole lot less to move six or so teachers from Jeter Watson to Clifton Middle School than it does to move the entire staff of Clifton Middle School to Covington. Additionally, we will not be able to bring much of our furnishings and teaching materials like our newly purchased Promethean Boards. The logistics of this move have not been clearly thought out. Each decision is leading to more and more issues. Packing needs to be completed by June 1 while we are still teaching and testing, and moving is taking place over the summer. Any and all construction will be taking place at the same time. We are to start school on Aug. 16 and have all of our classrooms unpacked and set up prior to the students arriving on Aug. 23.
In light of the many school issues plaguing our country we personally feel much safer knowing that we are out of the way of normal city traffic. There is one way into our grounds and one way out. If someone is around the building who should not be there, we are quickly aware of their presence. Covington is surrounded by homes and businesses where foot traffic is normal and access to the building would be much easier than at Clifton Middle School. Speaking of traffic, consider the fact that we will be bussing every 11 to 15-year-old student in the county to Covington High School. That means so many more buses than you are currently used to, as well as additional traffic for parent drop off and pick up, staff and teachers and very little parking to accommodate everyone. Streets will be closed off for drop off and pick up, and that means traffic backups throughout the community. I ask, are you prepared to deal with that on a daily basis? Another safety concern is that there is no fire escape on the second and third floors of Covington High School.
The parents and students who will be transferring to Alleghany High School this fall have all been invited to come to Alleghany High School and tour the facility. The parents and students who will be transferring to Covington High School in the fall have not been invited to tour the facility. I wonder why that is? We are bringing all of this information, and believe me there is so much more, to your attention as we have consistently been asking the school board to answer our questions, to no avail. Maybe, just maybe, they will answer yours.
A Concerned Teacher
Ann Dujardin
Millboro, Va.
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