Educators at Glen Oak are concerned the building will have more students than it can accommodate when the new school year begins.
A district-wide restructuring effort means Glen Oak added seventh graders last year and will add eighth graders this year to make it a K-8 school. Glen Oak teachers have spoken up to the school board since the new plan was introduced, in March 2016.
Teachers say the administration promised the restructuring would reduce the number of students in the already overcrowded building. But the school is on target to open in August with more than 930 students.
Teachers say that’s at least 200 over capacity.
Glen Oak counselor Annie Mayo says the situation only furthers the mistrust between the Glen Oak Community and the school district.
“Why are we shoving more trauma-soaked children into a too-tight space with less support for them?," Mayo said. "We keep hearing of the Superintendent’s desire to develop a district-wide Social Emotional Learning platform, which we admire and are supportive of, but everything about this plan goes against social emotional support best practices.”
The school was intended to have plenty of flexible space to be shared by multiple groups and to support small group learning. But Mayo and her colleagues say 900 students at Glen Oak will leave no space to accommodate for in-school suspensions or students with special needs.
Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat says the administration will monitor the situation when school starts and will make adjustments if necessary.