Principal warns gym overcrowding risks; resident urges action to save librarian positions

In public comment, Matt Giles (identified as a principal and board member) described safety and equity concerns tied to the size of Amherst County High Schools gym.

Giles said the gym routinely hosts six PE periods daily and can see between 53 and 68 students at once, creating cramped conditions that have contributed to concussions and broken arms and wrists. He said the limited baseline distance from the playing surface to fixed walls puts students at risk and that teams practice under constrained conditions compared with peer schools that have full-size and auxiliary gyms.

"We range anywhere from 53 to 68 students in that gym potentially at a time, especially on a rainy day," Giles said, urging the board to consider building a new gym to provide auxiliary space and improved safety and to free existing space for classrooms like health instruction.

A resident (Speaker 7) later criticized the boards priorities amid budget shortfalls, saying some debates (for example, teacher attire) had taken disproportionate time while librarian positions face elimination; the resident urged the board to find resources to preserve librarians.

Why it matters: board members said they heard parents and administrators concerns about facilities and staffing and acknowledged the division faces budget constraints. Staff and board members said they have already begun examining options for the Anisfield gym, including short-term and long-term fixes, measurements and ballpark cost estimates.

Next steps: staff said they would develop options and cost estimates for gym improvements and report back; trustees encouraged community input on priorities.