Charles R Henderson Elementary School

To be honest, I've been pretty frustrated with the health situation at Henderson. The attendance numbers are a huge red flag—it feels like kids are constantly out sick or just not showing up, and the school doesn't seem to have a solid handle on it. With the chronic absenteeism rates being as high as they are in this district, you really start to worry about how often the classrooms are actually getting deep cleaned. It's also super hard to get a straight answer regarding wellness updates; the communication feels really disorganized. I've seen way too many kids coming to school clearly under the weather because the sick-policy enforcement is so hit-or-miss. It definitely doesn't feel like a 'wellness-first' environment right now.

Honestly, Henderson's been okay with the health stuff, but it's definitely a typical inner-city public school vibe. My youngest is in 2nd grade there and the teachers are usually pretty quick to call us if a kid is looking sluggish or has a fever, which I appreciate. They do keep up with the hand sanitizer, but honestly, when flu season hits, it feels like it just sweeps through the whole classroom regardless. The nurse is really nice, though she's not there every single day of the week, so sometimes the office staff has to handle the minor scrapes and stuff. It's not perfect and the building is older so it doesn't always 'feel' super clean, but I think they're doing the best they can with what they've got.