James Hedges Elementary School

Honestly, the health environment at Hedges is a bit of a letdown. My biggest issue is how crowded the classrooms feel—the student-teacher ratio is way too high, and when one kid gets a sniffle, it spreads like wildfire through the whole grade. It’s hard for the staff to keep things clean or keep track of who should be home sick when they're so stretched thin. Chronic absenteeism is also a huge problem here, which makes me feel like the school doesn't have a solid handle on student wellness or community health. It’s frustrating because we love the arts focus, but the basic stuff like ventilation and keeping germs at bay feels like an afterthought. I’ve reached out about the lack of regular health updates, but communication is pretty hit or miss.

My youngest is over at Hedges and honestly, I've been pretty happy with how they handle things. The school always looks clean when I'm there for pick-up, and they’re really on top of it when something like a stomach bug or flu starts making the rounds—I usually get an email or a notification pretty quick so I can keep an eye out. The nurse is super sweet too; my son had a scraped knee last week and she not only patched him up but called to let me know so I wasn't surprised by the bandage. My only gripe is that the sick policy is a bit strict about when they can come back after a fever, but I guess that's why the whole school doesn't get sick at once! Overall, it's a solid, healthy spot for the kids.