George Leland Elementary School

Honestly, I'm pretty worried about the environment at Leland. My kid has been in and out of the nurse's office, and it feels like the communication about what's going around is basically nonexistent. The attendance rates in the neighborhood are notoriously low, and you can really see it in the classrooms—it’s like a revolving door of sick kids, which makes it impossible for the ones who are there to stay healthy. The building itself is older and definitely shows its age; I’ve noticed some questionable ventilation in the hallways that doesn't help with the stuffiness or the spread of germs. It feels like they're so focused on the STEM curriculum and paperwork that the actual day-to-day wellness of the students gets pushed to the back burner. For a school this size, I expected a more proactive approach to keeping the space clean and the kids healthy, but I'm just not seeing it.

Leland is a pretty solid STEM school but the health stuff can be hit or miss. On the plus side, the custodial staff really works hard to keep the common areas clean, and I rarely smell that 'old school' funk you get in some older buildings in Austin. However, the communication when a stomach bug or something is going around the 2nd grade could definitely be faster. I usually find out from other moms in a group chat before I get any official word from the office. They're pretty strict about the 24-hour fever-free rule which I appreciate, though it's a pain for working parents, it definitely helps keep the classrooms from becoming total germ zones.