Parents and students urge Richland School District One to fix mold, rodents and HVAC problems

At the March 12 meeting of the Richland School District One Board of School Commissioners, multiple parents and a 17-year-old senior described what they called unsafe and unacceptable conditions at district schools and asked the board for faster repairs and clearer communication.

"My daughter was given and fed molded grapes twice within 30 days," parent Lashonda McClendon told the board, listing leaky ceilings, brown water from faucets, missing ceiling tiles, bed bugs and classrooms without heat or air-conditioning at Eau Claire High School. She asked, "Where is the money going?" and pressed the board to take accountability for facility conditions.

Sherry Flowers, chair of the Columbia NAACP branch’s Parents for Peace initiative, said her group seeks to support parents and students and to press for equity and accountability. Retired educator Dr. Bridal Hersey described a March 1 incident at Lower Richland High School that, she said, "instilled pure panic" because of limited communication and supervision. "Our students and educators deserve an environment where they feel safe, valued, and supported," she said.

A student, Sierra Patterson, who identified herself as a senior with a 3.9 GPA, said she was attacked while trying to break up an altercation when no administrator or security was present. Patterson said she was removed to Olympia Learning Center, where "they only have 2 out of my 7 classes," and that she has missed nearly two months of instruction. "I just want to go back to school to catch up," she said, asking the board for a remedy before graduation.

Several Meadowfield Elementary parents told the board their kindergarten class was moved for roughly a month and that they received delayed or conflicting information. Michelle McCarthy said the first communication arrived a week after the move; she and other parents said they believe the class was relocated because staff found signs of rodent feces and possibly mold. "If there's nothing there...why is there a need for pest monitoring and mitigation?" McCarthy asked.

Board members and staff did not provide immediate fixes from the dais. Chair Bishop and other commissioners asked the administration to follow up in writing within 10 business days, as the board’s public-participation rules state. Multiple speakers called for more transparent, timely notices to parents and for a district plan to prioritize repairs and testing.

The board’s agenda included subsequent items on human-resources and finance, but commissioners also used their reports to raise the need for clearer facility timelines and budgets for repairs. Superintendent Dr. Vesey and other administrators who spoke later in the meeting noted ongoing facility work and pledged to share information with the board; details and timelines for repairs and for the questions about food-service and air-quality testing were not resolved on the record.

The board did record multiple vote outcomes later in the meeting on unrelated agenda items; the district said it will respond to public commenters in writing as required.