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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Wicomico Board Of Ed Wants To Leave Handicapped Students On 2nd Floor Staircase In Fire Situations

UPDATE: The image below is evidence of such.

Details are slowly coming in from the meeting that took place at the school this morning.


What I have so far is 3 special education children that are confined to a wheelchair and/or walker are being forced to go to class on the second floor. The evacuation plan is to place them in an area that is predetermined to be safe. We all know that in the case of a fire there are no safe places as fire does not discriminate. They are to remain there until the fire department gets there to evacuate them.


I would assume under extreme circumstances they would be left there alone as human nature would dictate that anyone assigned to stay with them would save their own lives first.


The school principal, and a representative from both the State Fire Marshals office and the Salisbury FD were present at this meeting. The parents that attended were told it was a meeting to discuss options. When the meeting began there were no options discussed. The parents were told this is the only option and that the FM and SFD were on board with this option. The parents have had other schools that the kids attended and when they were younger they obliged their concerns and put them on the first floor. This is all the parents are asking for. This way their children are not being left unattended and just about anyone could push them in a wheelchair out a first floor door.


I am looking into the fact that this school does not have a wheelchair cut in the curb and the only handicap accessible bathroom is downstairs. So every time one of these students needs to use the restroom the have to be put in the small elevator and taken down stairs and wheeled all the way to the nurses station where this bathroom is located. The parents are not even balking at these conditions because they understand they are just looking for some understanding on their behalf.


There may be another meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening.


Just yesterday the power went out at the Salisbury Middle School. The kids were stuck upstairs because the elevator wouldn't work. This caused a problem at the school bus area because the school buses had to wait for them to get down after the power was restored. And yes you guessed it, the fire department was never called.


An example of what has happened to children left behind in this condition is HERE.


Here's a sample of what you'll read: Over Christmas 2005 there actually was a fire and a teen who lives with cerebral palsy by the name of Jeremy Freeze and another teen Brian Miller were pushed to the top of the second floor stairwell and left to look after each other No adult stayed with them, but when Brian’s parents asked why their son was left alone the school super intendant replied we didn’t he had Jeremy with him!

80 comments:

Anonymous said...

Which school is this?

JoeAlbero said...

Salisbury Middle

Anonymous said...

as much money the wcboe take from taxpayers, there is absolutely no reason for this to happens.

Anonymous said...

NO NO NO! I will make some calls to the state. This will be resolved immediately.

Anonymous said...

This is a case of 3 students being denied there right to be evacuated during an emergency situation along with their peers. Apparently these students have come up through the school system. If they were accommodated at other schools why not this one. Maybe the principal has something personal against one/both of the parents of one of the students. That would be a shame to take it out on the kids. Or maybe because the kids are disabled they are just a pain and the staff doesn't want to deal with them. I'm 41 years old with no handicap and would not like to be left alone during any emergency situation with no way of getting out on my own. I bet if it was the principal child or one of the fire departments employees children this would not be an issue.

Anonymous said...

Didn't we spend a fortune putting generators in all the schools. Why didn't the generator kick in so they could use the elevator the other day.

Anonymous said...

I know a family who has a disabled child that goes to this school. This school has not been as accommodating as the schools in the past. If I remember correctly the school that they were in before this one they moved the students downstairs because they did care. If this family is who I think it is then they are a huge advocate for their childs disability. I bet they are not only working for their own child but for the future children that will be coming up through the school system. Why can't we have a policy where a student that is wheelchair or walker bound is automatically placed on the first floor? What's wrong with that policy?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the elevator is not tied into the generator. This is WCBOE were talking about.

Anonymous said...

Some Facts:

1) SBY Middle does have a second floor for 8th grade. Two steep staircases and one elevator serve second floor.

2) There are a small number of students with physical disabilities; they move about with devices tailored to their needs; most have an adult aide with them all day long depending upon their needs.

3) There was a brief power outage on Wednesday shortly before dismissal. Couple of minutes maximum; no alarms sounded. No indication of emergency or peril. No idea of the cause. Lights back on before dismissal.

Generally these students move more slowly so they probably leave last class a bit early to get to bus loading area (common sense).

4) Students with these needs probably DO NOT take regular bus (some buses have hydraulic lifts at rear to raise wheelchairs). Don't know for certain.

5) Sample cited in article is poor choice A) alleged to happen in 2005 B) Occurred on MD Western Shore in different school district C) Article was posted in Oct 2011; has no comments D) Comparison is just a misfit; apples:oranges.

6) Assume, again assume, that when power came back on at SBY Middle that it came back on for elevator also. We know that elevators should not be used during emergencies due to possibility of being trapped if power fails.

7) Question arises about nature and cause of power interruption: if it was internal and tripped a circuit, etc? Or was it external? In other words why call FD if no fire or alarms?

Think this issue was posted prematurely and more facts were needed before deciding anything wrong had occurred.

Anonymous said...

The private schools are apparently exempt from BOE decisions and rulings.

Anonymous said...

With the amount of money the Board of Education wastes on a continuing basis, are you telling me these precious children are left behind with no escape route, or a dependable, responsible adult to stay with them? What in the name of good GOD is wrong with the school? Those children have EVERY right afforded to all children. Would you like to be left behind to be burned to death?
Sorry for the language, but what in the hell is wrong with the fire marshall? Gee, we just paid for 12firefighters, they should be responsible and useful to this school for something other than showing off a firetruck.

Andy Harris needs to get involved in this. Basically this school is saying these precious children are expendable and I find that outragous!

Anonymous said...

Does St Francis school have to abide by the same handicapped regulations that all other county schools do?

Anonymous said...

And how about no air conditioning today????

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 325.... although you make some good points I think you're missing the point of the matter. It is not really what occurred yesterday. The point is would you want your child left unattended at the top of the stairs waiting for the fire department. The evacuation plan only works if all conditions go as planned. I have never seen any emergency evacuation go as planned. You will probably see more chaos than you will see order. First question is do you have any children? Second question is would you want them left unattended for up to an hour waiting in a burning building for the fire department to rescue them? Third question is would you feel more comfortable if they were on the first floor and could be pushed out by almost any able body. When you are talking about children disabled or not and you start comparing them to apples verses oranges you are not doing them any service at all you're better off to make no comment.

Anonymous said...

There are special devices that are made that can safely move a wheel chair down stairs. Some school districts install these devices at the top of all their stair cases. To move two whole grade levels after the start of the school year would be a major undertaking. There are many students in schools, in wheel chairs, who have classes on second or more floors, how do they address these concerns. What do hospitals do to address this issue?

Anonymous said...

Yeah. 325, you did not address the fact that wheelchairs should be on the first floor or any ramped floor for safety reasons. Life safety. Get it? This is not a political question. LIFE Safety. When that sector of town is in an outage, and there is a fire, all need egress, period. YOU can stand at the top of the stairs if you want. Please do, I may add.

Anonymous said...

What idiot says the fire department has to be called because the power went out? That is abolutely rediculous.

Anonymous said...

I don't seem to understand. Are thes kids in question to be restricted from ever going above the first floor. Wouldn't want to be them, stuck on the ground floor for the rest of their lives. I guess once out of school their parents will force an employer to only let them work on the first floor. People need to deal with the disability and with the enviroment they are in.

Anonymous said...

What continues to baffle me is the fact the Board of Education knows the short-comings of every school. I don't believe for one minute they could not have done a better job of planning for such cases. To me, it shows a real lack of caring, compassion for the affected children. When the BD is out putting on pep rallys begging for money, and building school palaces, perhaps they should have spent some of that money to outfit the schools that require such accomodations. The school administrator is inept at best!

Kristal Elzey said...

first of all, it is the RIGHT of every child to have access to a free education, ACCESS, to me this is an issue of life or death. IN NO WAY should anyone ever ever ever be told that they must remain in a burning building, period. They ought to be glad im not the parent!!! I would pull my child out of the school and they would have to provide an education, however it may look, to my child until this safety issue was fixed. Now, on the second issue, what about the care provider for the child? They are being told that they have to stay in a burning building as well...!!! Now, I would be willing to die trying to save a child from burning in a fire but I sure as hell wouldnt be TOLD that I must remain in a burning building...period. So we arent just talking about the children here. Its a right to have adequate and safe access. If they cant provide a free and appropriate educational experience then they need to move the child where they will be safe or make adaptions at the countys expense. These children would need to be accomadated until the situation is remedied. I'm AMAZED that they even had the BALLS to put this in writting, WOW WOW and WOW....what a wonderful set up for a law suit....I would like to appoint two people (lets say the PRINCIPAL and the dumbass who came up with the policy) to be the ones who stay in the burning building with the distraught children during a fire. They would have been much better off to have said throw the kids in a blanket and two people carry them out rather than to have NUMEROUS people being set up to burn to death and have loss of life and lawy suits on their hands. Again, DAMN glad its not my kid cos WOW WOW WOW, i cant say id be so nice and accepting.....

Anonymous said...

Why are handicapped students being taught in a room on the second floor of any building? This is NOT logical! These students need to be on the ground floor.

Anonymous said...

Sue them!! I bet some changes would be in store then!!

Anonymous said...

I don't understand this at all. We do so much for people that can't or won't learn how to speak english and yet they are willing to let certain children burn to death. Why not use the money that is spent on non english speaking people and use it to help those that need real help. I have no promble with anyone but those that have a child 6 or 7 years old born in this country and the parents can't speak english and won't learn. There is no reason for this to be going on.

Anonymous said...

All schools and structures with 2 or more floors are under the same fire code.

Anonymous said...

FYI.....the school does have a handicapped cut out outside and handicap accessible bathrooms on the second floor.

Anonymous said...

325 and 637 Obviously neither of you have ever had to deal with someone who is confined to a wheelchair. Do you really think that these individuals are not going to freak out during an emergency? I can guarantee that if it were your family member on the second floor of a burning building in a wheelchair you would raise hell.

If the only bathroom is located downstairs, how long does it take to get that person to the bathroom??

The power outage was not just at the school. I work in the area and it wasn't just the school without power.

When the appropriate people are notified about this situation, it will be resolved quickly. That's why there are federal laws to protect people with disabilities. They will be crawling up the Board of Education's a$$. They have no idea what a huge can of worms they have just opened.

Anonymous said...

Again, facts need to be THOROUGHLY looked at before accusations are made. The administrator is THE BEST in the county and looks after the needs of ALL students. Is it fair that 300 other students be forced to move downstairs because of 3. No. It would be disruptive to their education. As far as being left to fend for themselves. That is a joke, because i know plenty of caring staff that would either attempt to carry them out or stay with those children. Unless you are in the school on a DAILY basis, do not assume because you are making an a.....

Anonymous said...

I have just read with pride and dismay the comments about the Salisbury Middle School and the situation involving the handicapped 8th graders who have been assigned to the 2nd floor of the building. I was proud of the support and empathy shown by many of the bloggers and dismayed by the ignorance displayed by some of the comments. One of these children happens to be my grandchild whose has been at SMS for 2 years as have the other handicapped children. The administration has known this situation would arise and has been requested in the past to address more reasonable accommodations before the school year, so although making changes at this time would be disruptive, that is the fault of the administration, not the parents involved. To address the comment that the parents expect their children never to have to go up to the 2nd floor even when they get a job is insensitive and obviously comes from someone who doesn't have a handicapped child and has never experienced the myriad problems that come along with raising such a child. For that you should thank God and refrain from commenting on something you know nothing about. All we ask for and fight for every day is "reasonable accommodations". I don't think that is present here, including no accessible bathroom on 2nd floor and no reasonable exit in event of an emergency. My grandchild has awonderful aides who does a marvelous, but this is an extra burden that I am sure is not covered in any job description or paycheck. I am positive a reasonable solution could have been found if there had only been some cooperation and pre-planning by the administration before school started It is not too late to for them to step up now.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps one should ask the fire marshal what is required in schools, hospitals, and hotels. Salisbury middle school is a sprinklered building, correct?

Anonymous said...

I guess they should move the district court and anything else that people with disabilities may use to the ground floor. Do you people hear what you are saying?

Anonymous said...

Wow...you are real tough. I bet your kids get free meals.

Anonymous said...

It is not unreasonible for these parents to expect their children be quickly exited from a building at the same speed as other children in the school. If WCBOE has to spend the weekend busting out a wall to build a ramp to a field, then that should be done. The plan they came up with not only shows they don't take the risk seriously (have they not considered that smoke is as much of a threat as fire?) Furthermore, the staff members have as much right to be able to leave an unsafe building in a speedy manner as these children. I'm not sure the school can insist that a staff member remain in a building should there be danger. To the grandmother, keep up the fight!

Anonymous said...

August 30, 2012 3:25 PM,
The bottom line is, do all the school in Wicomico County allow easy and safe access in and out of the schools at this moment abd tine for everyone that are handicap or not? Answer that.

Anonymous said...

Please don't tell me wannabe far cheef Rick Hoppes is involved in more controversy?

Anonymous said...

Anon 1139.....Good question. This is just 3 out of how many students in how many schools? The only reason this is brought to light is because obviously there's a parent or two that actually cares about their children. Are these same silly evacuation plans in place in other schools?

Anonymous said...

Anon 934.....These are the facts. I don't think the parents are asking for 300 students to be moved downstairs but don't sit there and tell them this is the only option. And the administration at this school is so great? Did you know that they have a program where you can take "bucks" that are earned and use them for things like trips. These 3 students earned their bucks and along with th their classmates were going on a trip to rollerskating. This wonderful administration that you're speaking of didn't schedule one handicap bus to take these kids. One of the parents had to take off work to take them because they didn't feel it was fair to exclude these students. This is a fact. So before you assume you're speaking to someone that doesn't know you better think twice before you make a ... out of yourself.

Anonymous said...

What does a hospital or hotel have to do with this? We are talking about kids that will be left alone during an extreme emergency. I am sure these children have wonderful aides but let's face it in an extreme situation they will run to save their own lives. Yes this school is sprinklered. Are you saying as long as the kids are sitting directly under a sprinkler head that would be okay? Yes the power did go out and maybe only for a few minutes, this time. The schools air conditioner is going to be out for 8 weeks. And we are supposed to assume that there will be no issues with the sprinkler system? Get real people. Ask yourselves one question, if this was your child would you be okay with it? Not me.

Anonymous said...

A couple of questions. According to the document you have posted the kids are to be taken to an area of refuge. Is this area of refuge constructed of materials that are fire resistant up to at least 1 hour? I certainly hope so and I hope the fire marshals office and the Salisbury Fire Department checked this out before signing off on this ridiculous policy. According to the policy the kids are to be segregated from the other students. Is this so the 3 handicap students don't start freaking out when they see everybody else gets to get out of the building and they don't? "There will be a form of 2 way radio communications". Is this statement to general? Where are the radios located? Who is to get them? What channel do I use? Who will I be speaking to? In a chaotic situation like a fire questions like these should already be answered. The fire department will make a point to check these areas. Well gee thanks. If they were incompetent to sign off on this stupid plan they will probably will be incompetent to check the area. I love the last part about the kids not getting wet. If there is a fire I'd rather have a wet kid than a dead kid. Fire rarely will kill you it's usually the smoke inhalation. Does this area of refuge have some sort of ventilation? A way to evacuate the smoke if you will? This policy is way to vague. The persons who wrote it and the people who signed off on it should be made to sit in a chair tied to it and and placed in a controlled live fire situation and see how they like it.

Anonymous said...

You don't expect an intellegent answer from these two institutions.
Why put the kids on the first floor? Answwer is: it's just too easy of a problem solved , it just can't be right. DAAAAAH

Anonymous said...

Last year Salisbury Middle had a small fire on the second floor. There was also a student in a wheel chair who was a student on that floor. A fire, or other emergency, is not outside of the realm of possibility.

Having a safe plan that includes the speedy exit of ALL students is a reasonible expectation. It seems as though "leave the students in the stairwell" would be an undesirable, last resort.

Other options; build a ramp, purchase devices that can move a student down the steps, and other suggestions, are more costly options. If they wanted to use a option that wouldn't have cost money, but would have allowed the students to exit the building quickly and safely, they would have moved the 8th grade to the first floor before school started. Since school has started, and moving two grade levels at this point would be a huge challenge, they will have to go with a costly option because they dragged their feet on making a reasonable plan.

The "Emergency Evacuation Plan" is pathetic. It's not only unsafe for the children who are to be left at the top of the stairs, but can all the other students quickly exit one stairwell? What if one of the stairwells is blocked? The other students would have to go down one staircase. Where would the students in wheel chairs wait while that single staircase is being used as an exit?

Doesn't Parkside have a ramp from the second floor? This is obviously something that has been considered at some time in the past in Wicomico.

Anonymous said...

Areas of refuge have always been used in cases like this. it is a common practice built into building.

You should never use an elevator in case of emergency.

So what is the problem.

kristal elzey said...

oh boy where do i start, first of all shame on all of you for not being MAN/WOMAN enough to show your names when youre talking out your ass about something you know nothing about....these children are BY LAW deserving of a free and appropriate education, being left in a burning building is not acceptable EVER EVER, it doesnt matter what other schools do and dont do, all buildings must be handicapp accessable. Second, to the grandmother, god bless you. Tell your son/daughter to yank those kids OUT, make a scene, this is not right, its just not right.....believe me, ive been there done that...not on the same school or district, but ive had to do it, although wicomico county has been good to me and my son, ive not had to experience salisbury middle and thank god for them i havent. The thing is, this society in general tends to NOT act unless a worst case scenerio happens, dont let the case be your grandchild, shit happen, you dont plan for accidents. By creating that policy what they are in truth saying is that they KNOW, they are AWARE that there is an issue and its not being addressed appropriately. I am astonished that ANYONE accepted this. As far as the bathrooms go, calculate how many hours this transferring back and forth to this bathroom takes away from your grandchilds educational hours and then ask them how this is going to be given back to the child....being a nurse, i know how long it takes to provide adequate toileting and such to a wheelchair bound person, it takes awhile. Also, how long are they sitting in their bodily wastes while trying to access said bathroom??? Are they suffering skin issues or more frequant UTIs because of this??? Lastly, back to the life/death issue, if it was me? Id yank those kids out, its not just the students we are talking about, its also the one to one or staff appointed to these children that are being put in risk of losing life etc. Again, ask the person who made that dumb ass policy and the principal to be the one who stays with the child in the burning building....yeah they wont do it. UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im appalled...........

Anonymous said...

8:09 - you are spot on. Most of the commenters on this topic seem to not realize how things work in high rise buildings. Commenters here would want to keep handicapped people isolated on the first floor. Folks, do you realize what the standard procedure is for any building above 1 floor is for those needing assistance to egress to one point for the fire department to rescue? This is nationwide. If you start having a wanna-be hero trying to rescue someone, you then have the rescuers having two people instead of one to rescue. And some of you want them to use the elevator?!

Anonymous said...

Thats horrible that a bus with a lift wasnt used?! This needs to go to the state or federal level. I hope this story gets picked up by the Associated Press.

Anonymous said...

my question- why were the kids at Salisbury Middle stuck upstairs becuase the elevator wasn't working? Doesn't this school have stairs also? Someone please explain.

Anonymous said...

How this is the best solution for the kids? We know it is the easiest option for the school since it's a do nothing plan, but what parent would agree to this?

Anonymous said...

9:34 Pm the only person making an a-- of themselves is you for your cruel comment. If you think that the current school administrator is the best the county has ever had it can only be because he panders to the teacher's union and in this case certainly doesn't have the children' welfare at heart. The county chose the best of the worse candidate left over.
I completely agree with the positive comments made here regarding having those affected children's classes on the first floor, so they would also be near the restrooms.
Just a few days ago, Joe posted a blog about the schools environmental group had all the classrooms ready, painting done, desks, floors cleaned, etc., etc., etc. It is blantanly obvious to me they all missed the mark with fire safety. They all had more than ample time to have this resolved. School administrator just didn't want to spend the money in that fashion (protecting disabled children from fire in the schools). And how dare he, HOW DARE HE discriminate against disabled children from participation in field trips. Those children deserve a little bright spot in their lives.
RIGHT NOW, OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEK-END THIS CAN BE TAKEN CARE OF. MOVE TWO CLASSES AND HAVE MONITORS, PRINCIPAL, TEACHERS, ETC. IN THE HALLWAYS WHEN SCHOOL STARTS AFTER THE HOLIDAY DIRECTING TRAFFIC. The Bd of Ed. can certainly do any other thing they want when they want. WE THE TAXPAYERS WHO PAY YOUR SALARIES WANT THIS DONE AND NOW. Save the children.

Anonymous said...

So you're telling me the top of the staircase was built using the materials that will resist fire. And you're also telling me by your statement you don't have kids. Because any parent would not be dumb enough to make a statement like this.

Anonymous said...

Why would a special needs child have ANY classes on the second floor? I know they are streamlined and I totally agree with streamlining. I believe there should be a way to keep them on the main floor of the building and have educators come to them for instruction. With all the money wasted in other areas this is not an area to that money would be wasted. Keep ALL our children safe not just the cream of the crop (& I use that phrase w/ a tone of sarcasm). These children are our future and we must do the absolute best to keep ALL of them safe.

eddie said...

one note:

the children's RIGHT to a FREE education is neither, it is for DERN sure NOT FREE. I pay for that garbage every month in my land owners ESCROW fund. education is not a right, it is a privalege. now, if they are there, i believe we have the RESPONSIBILITY to ensure their safety in the highest possible way.

Anonymous said...

Anon: 8:44am

"So you're telling me the top of the staircase was built using the materials that will resist fire."

Yes. Code requires the materials to resist a fire for about two hours. This statement doesn't make me dumb, it is simply the law. Look it up if you don't believe me (something I doubt you will do). I am also a parent and an architect. Look in the IBC or the code that was applicable when the school was built.

Someone should stay with the kids until help comes so that might be the real problem. the only real way to solve the problem is to rebuild the school. And I am sure while people are complaining here they won't spend the money.

Anonymous said...

Kristal said it best when she stated, you have two assigned adults carrie the child down, until a better solution comes along. When schools have practice fire drills, the two assigned adults will also participate in carring the handicap child down the steps. No one under no circumstance should stay in a burning building. These children would need to be carried out. But I am sure some readers of this blog would not agree, they would want a complete rebuild of the school.

Anonymous said...

UPDATE!
There was a second meeting called this morning at 830 about this issue. The meeting lasted approximately 5 minutes. The meeting was brief because the parents were told exactly what they were told yesterday, this is your only option, too bad. WBOC has been contacted. A phone call and email will go out to Andy Harris's office. Most importantly the insurance company that insures this school is being contacted. They will be forwarded a copy of the original evacuation plan. Since they will be the ones liable, I feel they deserve to know why. The evacuation plan doesn't even include a map. A conversation was overheard at the school from one of the aides to one of these kids, she said " what radios I don't carry a radio with me I don't even know where one is, what if the power goes out again and next time we're actually in the elevator I have no way of letting anybody know we're in there". Great plan my ass.

Anonymous said...

Let's take this issue to congress and then form a committee , then to the supreme court and then back again , what a bunch of crap , just put em on the first floor idiots.

Anonymous said...

What does the ADA act say about this situation ?

Anonymous said...

What I am asking you is do you know for a fact that these areas are constructed as such? Is that what you are telling me, you know this to be true? Anyone can google the code requirements for a safe haven. I don't care about what the code is. All I care about is did the school just pick these two locations out of thin air or were these two locations specifically designed for this purpose? Do you have the answer to my question yes or no?

Anonymous said...

God Bless these children. They should be taken out first then let the other children go since they can walk & run.

Anonymous said...

These children have feelings also. Would you want to be left in a burning building hoping someone would get there in time to save your life? Put yourself in there place then make the right choice in this matter! I don't think the school board is taking the right measures to protect these dear children

Anonymous said...


When there is a fire, etc. I would like for the person who thought this up to be tied to a chair and wait with the two students for someone to come rescue them. Like the fire department said some won't answer calls or their response is slow.
What do you think?

Anonymous said...

The bottom line is any parent who cares about her child would be doing the exact same thing. The thought of leaving a child in a building unattended makes me sick. And I say unattended because as nice and caring as these aides may be if they feel their own lives are in danger they will leave. The parents are not asking for anyone to change night in today. They asked for a meeting so that they could all come up with some solutions. The meeting yesterday consisted of the principal telling the parents this is your one and only option that's it. Then they call them back for another meeting this morning to tell them the same thing. What a slap in the face. I am sure that it does not matter but I have lost the little respect I had for the board and the fire department.

Anonymous said...

Other than myself I know of 3 other individuals with some influence that have put calls in to John Fredrickson. You guessed it, no call backs from the coward.

Anonymous said...

Fredrickson is probably on the phone with his attorney to get this swept under the rug. He can't be bothered. He should stay in the burning building!

Anonymous said...

I like that idea :)

Anonymous said...

These children have feelings also. Would you want to be left in a burning building hoping someone would get there in time to save your life? Put yourself in there place then make the right choice in this matter! I don't think the school board is taking the right measures to protect these dear children

Anonymous said...

The private schools are apparently exempt from BOE decisions and rulings.

August 30, 2012 3:42 PM

I would hope so.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure who the principal is at SMS this year. Of its the female that's been there for a couple years, I'm not surprised she isn't accommodating. However, the special education director could make the decision to place the students in an area of the school that is safe and that accommodates his or her needs. It's not about fire regulations folks. It's about what is best for three students! What if it were your child that was placed in a refuge waiting for the rescue team, while thoughts of fear and panic build, while others are being "rescued". For goodness sake, move those precious children to a safe accommodating place in that school!

Anonymous said...

Education is garbage, huh? Nice.

Anonymous said...

I have a solution. Why don't they put the three children in a single room on the first floor and completely isolate them from their friends and peers? There is even a room with its own bathrooms, and they could get their lunches brought to them on a cart. That way they would never leave the room. How dare the staff and administration of SMS try to give these bright, sweet children some semblance of normalcy in their lives. Because, helping a child with a disability feel like he belongs is just crazy talk. (end sarcastic rant)

Anonymous said...

Children's need are not always the priority. I was treated very unfairly by the infants and toddlers director and special education administration. They are dishonest and would do anything to protect themselves instead of taking care of children's needs. Beware! This county has much to be desired and lacks best interest of students.

Anonymous said...

Yes it is the same non accommodating female you're thinking of. Plus I had posted before that I believe there is something personal to this issue. Apparently no one in the special ed department cares because if they did they would have already spoken up publicly. And as much as I appreciate this post its not just about these students, it's about setting a policy for current and future special needs students in our schools. I know of a blind student who will be moving up through the school system. Although not confined to a wheelchair are there any policies set in place to handle a student like this? Set a policy and you remove the factor of a staff member not liking a parent and you know there will be some uniformity. All special needs students attending any one school will have the right to be safely evacuated from the building along with their peers and friends.

Anonymous said...

I am personally disgusted by all the entitlements granted to every special needs, IEP, ed child. Education is a right, but let’s gets real. We as a county, state, nation, we the working class, are paying for this. It is not enough to give them one on ones, all day everyday. These children’s parents complain about everything. I would imagine that dealing with all the special needs of every single child, quickly bankrupts the WCBOE’s budget. So you all GET REAL. Knowing that the county put a cap on taxes might be why we are in the lowest per student expenditures in the tricounty area. And if you deduct from regular ed children the resources needed to accommodate everything from, cp, mr, autism, bad hair days, poor behavior patterns, where does my child fit in. I’ll tell you. My child who comes to school properly dressed, respectful, homework done gets forgotten. Why, the squeaky wheel get the grease. It is often stated in many parts of our society that 10% of the people use 90% of the resources. So lets back up and review, the fire marshal has stated the evacuation plan , the risk of fire that consumes the entire second floor is probably less than .00005%. Therefore if the school system with its extremely tight budget has accommodated to educate your children, then you should also be accommodating. Life is tough, but in the real world there will also be challenges that wheelchair bound persons must overcome.

kristal elzey said...

eddie, youre talking out of your ass, it is a law that all children have the RIGHT to a free and appropriate education, stop talking out of your ass when you have no idea what you are talking about, REALLY educate yourself before you speak

Anonymous said...

Maybe parents should think about this...what if your child had an accident and was in a wheelchair when a fire broke out. Would you like your child to be left in a stairwell? This policy is not acceptable and needs to be changed. There are options to fix this and it needs to be done BEFORE there is a fire! This should have been thought of long ago before these 3 children entered this shcool.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:58
You are a true idiot. What entitlements are you speaking of? Their entitlement to get out of a building along with YOUR child during any evacuation for any reason? You know YOUR child, the one that is perfect with no handicaps. So easy for you to say. So a child who is handicapped who is dressed like YOUR kid, acts like YOUR kid and does his homework just like YOUR kid gets left behind because not like YOUR kid he is in a wheelchair. What real world challenges has you or YOUR child overcome? Do you think these children or any handicapped children asked to be in the 10% of society to be born with a handicap? On their behalf I would like to apologize to you the 90% for them being a burden to you and not being more like YOUR PERFECT CHILD. I pray that people like you get dealt some real world hardship so maybe you would see the real world through different eyes.

Anonymous said...

FACT: When these students came into the school their parents did not want them to use the same bathroom as every other child even though ALL bathrooms in the building are handicap accessible. Accommodations were made ESPECIALLY for them to use either the staff bathroom, nurse's office, or the bathroom in the special ed self contained room.Each parent got their choice of where they wanted their child to use the bathroom. ALL other students did not get this luxury.
FACT: there are TWO curbs that are "dipped" for wheelchair purposes. One is at the front of the building and the other is at the bus ramp.
FACT: There are other schools that the parents can choose to send their children to if they are not happy with SMS and they are more than likely on special permission to go to SMS anyway to meet their child's needs.
FACT: Eagle bucks are an incentive for ALL students to earn in order to participate in self selected options for activities throughout the school year. The student did not select the field trip option until AFTER the the buses were ordered so his parent CHOSE to take him AND the principal paid her mileage out of her own pocket to avoid the red tape she would have had to go through in order to be reimbursed.
FACT: NO ONE in their right mind would call the fire dept if the power simply went out for 5 min UNLESS the building was actually on fire.
FACT: SMS was built 12 years ago or so after ADA was in place which means that the building was legally built to meet those guidelines. The stairwells are fire safe b/c those are the regulations under which ADA exists. An elevator is in place in every government building for handicapped access. ANY wheelchair/handicap person has to follow the same guidelines in other public buildings. These children will grow up one day and have to face the real world obstacles without their parents.
FACT: 2 of the 3 children spoken of are not completely wheelchair bound. They both can walk.
FACT: The teachers and administration at SMS have enough compassion that NO CHILD would be left behind in the event of a fire which is a slim possibility anyway. There are enough strong able bodied men that would carry them down the steps and has been done before in a fire drill.
FACT: NO CHILD IS PERFECT.
FACT: Perhaps the ANONYMOUS people on this blog are in the school system.
FACT: There are two sides to EVERY story.
FACT: Most of you don't know the principal or teachers that work at SMS, so you can't judge. ONLY GOD CAN.
...and the last FACT: Some people use their children to get what they want.

Anonymous said...

September 1, 2012 9:58 AM said it best. GET REAL!!

Anonymous said...

The biggest problem with this whole situation is the parents and their "everyone owes me" attitude. They are using their children and putting fear in their heads. That building is completely fire safe or all the parents would be screaming. Those entitlement magnet parents need to get a real life.

Anonymous said...

9:41 I don't believe half of what you say. How could you know so many "facts" about these children? Why are you so angry with them? The kids are disabled. Why are you hating on them so much?

Anonymous said...

9:41 You no absolutely nothing. Almost all of your facts are wrong. Give me one more fact, if this was your mom or dad in a nursing home on the second floor and the only thing between them living or dying during a fire is a generic evacuation form and some hope that everything goes right, would you be okay with this? Just tell me the truth.

Anonymous said...

I thought part of the superintendents and WCBOE's mission statement is "to provide a safe, secure learning environment for students and staff....AND this is not what SMS is providing for these students and there aides. These children and they're parents aren't asking anyone to spend a dime....they are asking for the school to move classrooms to the first floor...yes, this is an inconvenience but it is a solution to perhaps a bigger problem....can someone say "lawsuit"? The school just needs to comply to their "simple" request by moving to the first floor before this debate becomes national news. For the record, I would not want my son or daughter to be asked to WAIT at the top of the stairs in case of fire....Just imagine the hysteria these children would witness as students and staff passed them exiting the building....this would ruin these children for life not to mention these students might feel the need to find a way to get themselves out of the building and end up getting severely hurt in the process.

WCBOE needs to be thinking ahead as these students and students behind them in grade-level will be faced with the same problems if this is not addressed immediately. I am surprised the architect's and planners of these buildings did not consider this when in the design phases of the construction of these newer facilities. Yeah...I realize they have sprinkler systems in place and there is a low percentage of a fire ever getting to the point of "fully engulfed in flames", but there is always a "first" for everything....And I for one, do not want to see this happen to anyone especially a child!