Cold Spring Elementary students ask Montgomery County school leaders to include their school in capital improvements plan

Students from Cold Spring Elementary School told Montgomery County Public Schools leaders on Monday that their building’s design and age-related problems are harming learning and safety and asked to be included in the superintendent’s recommended capital improvements program.

"Cold Spring is the only school in the county with an open concept design," said a Cold Spring Elementary student during public comment. The student said classrooms at the school lack doors and that many interior walls do not reach the ceiling, forcing teachers to speak louder so their own students can hear.

Another student described the practical impacts: staff have had to convert small areas into work spaces and search for rooms with doors for speech therapy and special education support. "These services deserve privacy and quiet, but our building makes that very difficult and in turn impacts all of us," the student said.

Speakers also listed aging building systems they say affect health and comfort. "The HVAC system is extremely outdated," one student said, adding that classrooms can be humid, hot or freezing and that roof leaks have caused water damage. Students reported issues with mold and the water system and said these conditions "affect our health and our ability to learn."

Safety during emergency drills was another concern. A student said that because of the open layout it is hard to shelter students, noting it would be "really hard to hide 28 students in a hallway storage closet."

The students thanked "Doctor Taylor, Missus Yang, and members of the MCPS Central Office" for previous visits and said staff at the school are working hard, but they urged district leaders to act. "That is why we are asking you to approve the superintendent's recommended capital improvements program with Cold Spring being included," one student said.

There was no formal vote recorded during the remarks. The students closed by saying they want classrooms where they can hear teachers, breathe clean air, drink clean water and feel safe, and thanked district leaders for listening.

Next steps were not specified in the public comment; the request was for inclusion in the superintendent's recommended capital improvements program.